microsoft--powertoys/doc/dsc/modules/PowerRename.md

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description	ms.date	ms.topic	title
DSC configuration reference for PowerToys PowerRename module	10/18/2025	reference	PowerRename Module

PowerRename Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Power Rename utility, a bulk file and folder renaming tool.

Description

The PowerRename module configures PowerToys Power Rename, a Windows shell extension that enables bulk renaming of files and folders with advanced features like regular expressions, preview, and undo functionality. It integrates with the Windows Explorer context menu.

Properties

The PowerRename module supports the following configurable properties:

MRUEnabled

Controls whether the most recently used (MRU) search and replace terms are saved.

Type: boolean
Default: true

MaxMRUSize

Sets the maximum number of MRU entries to remember.

Type: integer
Range: 0 to 20
Default: 10

ShowIcon

Controls whether the Power Rename icon appears in the Explorer context menu.

Type: boolean
Default: true

ExtendedContextMenuOnly

Controls whether Power Rename appears only in the extended context menu (Shift+right-click).

Type: boolean
Default: false

UseBoostLib

Controls whether the Boost library is used for regular expression processing.

Type: boolean
Default: false

Examples

Example 1 - Configure MRU settings with direct execution

This example configures the most recently used list behavior.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            MRUEnabled = $true
            MaxMRUSize = 15
        }
        name = "PowerRename"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module PowerRename --input $config

Example 2 - Configure context menu with DSC

This example configures Power Rename to appear in the extended context menu only.

dsc config set --file powerrename-context.dsc.yaml

# powerrename-context.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Power Rename context menu
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerRenameSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ExtendedContextMenuOnly: true
          ShowIcon: true
        name: PowerRename
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures Power Rename.

winget configure winget-powerrename.yaml

# winget-powerrename.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Power Rename
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerRenameSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          MRUEnabled: true
          MaxMRUSize: 20
          ShowIcon: true
          UseBoostLib: true
        name: PowerRename
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Clean context menu configuration

This example minimizes context menu clutter.

dsc config set --file powerrename-minimal.dsc.yaml

# powerrename-minimal.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Minimal context menu
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerRenameSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ExtendedContextMenuOnly: true
          ShowIcon: false
        name: PowerRename
        version: 1.0

Example 5 - Advanced regex configuration

This example enables the Boost library for advanced regex features.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            UseBoostLib = $true
            MRUEnabled = $true
            MaxMRUSize = 15
        }
        name = "PowerRename"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module PowerRename --input $config

Use cases

Content management

Configure for frequent file renaming tasks:

resources:
  - name: Content management
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerRenameSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          MRUEnabled: true
          MaxMRUSize: 20
          ShowIcon: true
        name: PowerRename
        version: 1.0

Clean interface

Configure for minimal context menu presence:

resources:
  - name: Clean interface
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerRenameSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ExtendedContextMenuOnly: true
        name: PowerRename
        version: 1.0

See also

• Settings Resource
• PowerToys DSC Overview
• AdvancedPaste
• PowerToys PowerRename Documentation