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What is TV & Movie Rename?
TV & Movie Rename (TV Rename) is a free, open-source media management tool for Windows 10 and later. It organizes TV show and movie files into a clean, consistent library that media hubs like Kodi, Mede8er and PyTivo can read. It is aimed at people who keep a local or NAS-based collection and want filenames, artwork and metadata handled automatically.
Its core job is renaming messy files using data from TheTVDB and rules you configure. For example, a file named The.Shannara.Chronicles.S02E03.XviD-AFG.avi can become The Shannara Chronicles - S02E03 - Graymark.avi. Beyond renaming, it can monitor folders for new files, copy or move them into your media library, download posters and episode images, create .nfo metadata files, list missing episodes, and show when the next episode of a favourite show airs.
Where it fits
| Need | How TV Rename helps |
|---|---|
| Tidy scrambled filenames | Renames files from TheTVDB data and configurable rules |
| Keep a library current | Watches specified folders and moves or copies new files in |
| Make files hub-ready | Downloads artwork and creates metadata for Kodi and similar hubs |
| Track gaps | Lists missing episodes and seasons and creates web searches to find them |
The main trade-off is that it is Windows-only and configuration-heavy: the page stresses that virtually every aspect is customizable, which suits tinkerers but means a first-time user should start with the Quick-Start Guide. If you are setting it up, begin there and point it at one small test folder before letting it scan your whole library.
How do I get started with TV Rename for the first time?
Start by installing TV Rename on a Windows 10 or later PC, then point it at two things: a Media Library folder (where you keep your TV show and movie files) and one or more monitored folders (where downloads land). Once it knows about both, run a scan; TV Rename reads your existing files, matches them against TheTVDB, and proposes cleaned-up names. From there you can let it copy or move files into the library automatically.
A sensible first-run order
- Set your Media Library location(s). If your files sit on a NAS, add that path; TV Rename supports multiple locations.
- Add monitored folders so new downloads get picked up without manual work.
- Run a scan and review the proposed renames before applying them. This is the step worth slowing down on—check that a few episodes matched the right show and season, since odd filenames are where automatic matching is most likely to stumble.
- Turn on poster, banner and episode-image downloads plus .nfo creation once naming looks right, so your media hub (Kodi, Mede8er, PyTivo and similar) picks up artwork and metadata.
- Enable the calendar and missing-episode listing to see gaps in your collection and when the next episode of a show airs.
The page's own worked example is a good mental model: a file like The.Shannara.Chronicles.S02E03.XviD-AFG.avi becomes The Shannara Chronicles - S02E03 - Graymark.avi, with the episode title pulled from TheTVDB.
What to expect as a beginner
| Setting | Default behaviour | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Copy vs. move | Copying keeps the original file | Move if you want a single tidy library and no duplicate disk use |
| Library language | Default show/episode naming | Change if you prefer another language for titles |
| Automatic vs. manual | Fully automatic renaming is possible | Start manual until you trust the matching |
| Metadata/images | Downloaded automatically once enabled | Disable if you manage artwork yourself |
The trade-off is familiar: full automation saves time but a wrong match can rename a whole season incorrectly, so the first few scans are best done with review on. The tool is open source and free for non-commercial use, and the project asks that improvements be fed back.
Next step
Read the Quick-Start Guide first—the site explicitly recommends it for newcomers—then work through the setup guides for preferences and automation. The official documentation index is at TV & Movie Rename. If you also want a second opinion on matching behaviour, community forums such as Reddit often discuss media-renaming workflows, though details there may not reflect the current version.
Can TV Rename automatically organize my existing TV show and movie files into a media library?
Yes. TV & Movie Rename is built to take messy filenames from a media library folder (on a PC, NAS, or similar) and reorganize them: it copies or moves files from monitored folders into your library, renames them using TheTVDB data and your own rules, and can download posters and images and create metadata. The site's own example turns The.Shannara.Chronicles.S02E03.XviD-AFG.avi into The Shannara Chronicles - S02E03 - Graymark.avi. It also lists missing episodes, can search for them, and can show when the next episode of a show airs — see TV & Movie Rename.
What "automatic" means in practice
- Setup first: you point it at your media library and preferred settings, then run a scan. After that, it can monitor folders for new files and process them.
- Renaming is rule-based: names come from TheTVDB plus configurable rules, so unusual naming schemes may need rule tweaks.
- It can copy or move: choose based on whether you want originals kept.
- Windows only: it runs on Windows 10 and later, which matters if your library lives on a NAS — the tool still needs a Windows machine to run.
A practical next step
Before letting it loose on your whole collection, test on a single show folder with the copy option enabled, check the resulting names and metadata in your media hub (Kodi, for example), then expand. If you want a cross-platform alternative, compare with Kodi Wiki guidance or SourceForge project listings before committing.
Does TV Rename work with Kodi, Plex, or other media hubs for metadata and artwork?
Yes. TV Rename is designed to prepare TV and movie files for media hubs, and its own documentation names Kodi (XBMC), Mede8er and PyTivo as targets. It renames files using TheTVDB data and configurable rules, downloads posters, banners and episode images, and creates .nfo metadata files—the kind of local artwork and metadata that Kodi reads directly.
What this means in practice
If you run Kodi, TV Rename fits neatly: point it at a folder of messy files such as The.Shannara.Chronicles.S02E03.XviD-AFG.avi, and it can produce a clean name like The Shannara Chronicles - S02E03 - Graymark.avi alongside matching images and .nfo files in your library. Kodi then picks these up from the files themselves, so you get correct titles, episode descriptions and artwork without relying on an online scraper.
Plex and similar hubs differ in approach. They generally identify content from folder and file naming and fetch metadata from their own online agents, so the main value TV Rename offers them is consistent naming and tidy folder structure. Locally created .nfo files and images matter most to hubs that support local metadata; for Plex, treat the naming and organisation as the primary benefit and check whether your library setup uses local assets before counting on the artwork.
Quick comparison
| Media hub | Main benefit from TV Rename | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Kodi | Clean names plus local posters, banners, episode images and .nfo files | Keep artwork and .nfo alongside the video files |
| Mede8er / PyTivo | Named files and downloaded images for hub display | Confirm the hub's expected folder layout |
| Plex and similar | Consistent, scraper-friendly file and folder names | Metadata usually comes from the hub's own agents |
Next step
Decide based on how your hub gets metadata. If it reads local .nfo and images, let TV Rename handle naming, artwork and metadata together. If it scrapes online, use TV Rename mainly to normalise names and folder structure, and verify one show in your hub before processing the whole library. The project's Quick-Start Guide on TV & Movie Rename covers the initial library setup.
How do I set up automatic monitoring of folders for new episodes and movies?
TV & Movie Rename (TV Rename) is built around exactly this workflow: you point it at one or more "monitored" folders where downloads land, and at a Media Library folder (locally or on a NAS) where you want organized files to live. Once both are set, a scan finds new files, renames them using data from TheTVDB plus your own naming rules, and copies or moves them into the library — with posters, banners, episode images and .nfo metadata created along the way.
Setup sequence
- Install TV Rename on Windows 10 or later and open Preferences.
- Add your Media Library location(s) — this is the destination, not the download folder.
- Add each download or "incoming" folder as a monitored folder, so new episodes and movies are detected automatically.
- Set your naming preferences (show/season/episode format, movie format, library language) and choose copy vs. move.
- Run a scan to see what it finds, then let it run on its schedule — the site describes the intended experience as setting preferences once and letting it work.
The example on the product page is worth keeping in mind: The.Shannara.Chronicles.S02E03.XviD-AFG.avi becomes The Shannara Chronicles - S02E03 - Graymark.avi, with the episode title pulled from TheTVDB.
Practical decisions before you start
- Copy or move? Copying keeps your original downloads intact but doubles disk use; moving is cleaner but leaves nothing to re-check if a match goes wrong. For a first run, copy, verify the results, then switch.
- Match accuracy: automatic matching depends on filenames containing a recognizable show name and season/episode markers. Files with obfuscated names (common with some Usenet downloads) may need manual correction, so plan to review the first batch.
- Movies vs. episodes: the tool handles both, but movie naming relies on matching against metadata sources rather than season/episode numbering, so keep movie files in their own monitored folder to avoid misclassification.
- Network libraries: if the library sits on a NAS, confirm the path is reachable and writable from the Windows machine running the tool before scheduling scans.
Useful extras once monitoring works
TV Rename can also list missing episodes and seasons in your library, generate web searches to help you find them, and tell you when the next episode of a show airs. The project is open source and free for non-commercial use.
If you also use Kodi, its own documentation at Kodi Wiki explains the folder and naming conventions media hubs expect, which is a good cross-check for your naming preferences.
What are the licensing terms if I want to modify or redistribute TV Rename?
TV Rename is open source and free to use. You may modify it for non-commercial use, provided that improvements are fed back into the project so others benefit. If you distribute a modified version, it must remain open source under the same license.
In practice, this means a personal fork for your own library workflow is fine, but shipping a closed-source variant or selling a modified build is not. If you plan to redistribute, keep your changes under the same license and contribute fixes upstream — that is the condition the project attaches to modification and distribution.
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