Renaming Files
Drag & Drop
Drag files or folders into the main window drop zone. Folders are scanned recursively — all supported files are queued for processing. Alternatively, use the Files or Folder buttons to open the file dialog.
Up to 4 files are processed concurrently. For larger batches a progress indicator shows the current state.
Other Entry Points
- Dock icon: drop files directly onto the Distill icon in the Dock — even when Distill is not running.
- Finder context menu: select files and use “Open with” → Distill, or the Finder extension (right-click → “Mit Distill umbenennen”).
distill://URL scheme: e. g. from scripts or Shortcuts. Format:distill://rename?paths=/path/file1.pdf,/path/file2.pdf.- REST API: programmatic access via
POST /v1/suggestorPOST /v1/rename(see “API & Automation”).
Preview Diff
For each file, Distill displays the original and suggested name side by side. Changes are color-highlighted. The AI analysis confidence is shown as a percentage.
Each row has a checkbox — only checked files are renamed; the footer bar shows the number of checked suggestions. Newly submitted files arrive checked. If more files arrive while the review list is open (via Dock drop, folder watching, or the API), they are appended instead of replacing the list. Such late suggestions arrive unchecked so they cannot hijack an ongoing review — check them as needed. Meanwhile the analysis continues visibly in a progress footer.
To edit a suggestion, turn off the diff view using the toggle (</> icon) in the footer bar — the suggested name then becomes an editable text field. Double-click a row or use the eye icon to open that file in Quick Look; the space bar previews the first file in the list.
Supported File Types
| Processor | File Types | Extraction |
|---|---|---|
| Text, metadata, optional OCR via PCS | ||
| Image | .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .heic, .heif, .tiff, .tif, .bmp, .gif, .webp | OCR text recognition, EXIF data |
| Office | .docx, .xlsx | Text content and document properties |
| .eml | Subject, sender, date, body | |
| HTML | .html, .htm, .xhtml | Page content and title |
| RTF | .rtf, .rtfd | Formatted text content |
| Media | .mp3, .mp4, .mov, ... | EXIF data, ID3 tags |
| Generic | all others | Filename, size, creation date |
PowerPoint and Outlook files (.pptx, .msg) are handled by the generic processor.
Conflict Resolution
If a file with the suggested name already exists, Distill appends a sequential number (e.g. Filename-2.pdf). File timestamps (creation and modification date) are preserved when renaming.