---
type: snippet
id: kowznhljjrgeq9r2
title: Rename PNG Files to Random UUIDs
url: >
  https://www.jakubpelak.com/snippets/rename-png-files-to-random-uuids
section: snippets
tags:
  - Automation
  - CLI
  - UUID
  - Script
published_at: 2025-03-09
---

# Rename PNG Files to Random UUIDs

A simple Bash script that renames all `.png` files in the current directory using randomly generated lowercase UUIDs. It ensures `uuidgen` is installed before execution and skips renaming if no PNG files are found.

```bash
#!/bin/bash

# Check if 'uuidgen' command is available
if ! command -v uuidgen &> /dev/null; then
  echo "uuidgen command not found. Please install it first."
  exit 1
fi

# Loop through all .png files in the current directory
for file in *.png; do
  # Skip if no PNG files found
  if [ ! -e "$file" ]; then
    echo "No PNG files found in the current directory."
    exit 0
  fi

  # Generate a random UUID v4 and convert to lowercase
  uuid=$(uuidgen | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')

  # Rename the file
  mv "$file" "${uuid}.png"
done

echo "All PNG files have been renamed to random lowercase UUIDs."
```

> [!NOTE]
> Prefer a right-click service on macOS? See the AppleScript variant: (link: page://2lpiw0jmwjyaammm text: Rename Files to Random UUIDs via macOS Shortcuts).