Batch File Modifier

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on September 20, 2010

Batch File Modifier from PMCC is a handy, free, portable program for Windows that can quickly modify files singly or in batches. It offers a robust delete method and the ability to replace date, time, and other attributes in multiple files as well as compile HTML Help files. It has several useful file-renaming options, too, including the ability to preview and roll back changes.

This compact tool is a standalone C# program; like all the developer's wares, it can be installed on your PC or on a USB drive. It doesn't modify the Registry in any way and can run under limited accounts, like a guest account, which is handy in a portable tool since you may not always have administrator access. The program has a unique interface, a compact dialog with an icon-based toolbar for Import, Export, Feedback, and Help functions, and a wizard-based control system that simplifies processes by walking users through the options. In addition to renaming and modifying date, time, and attributes and replacing text in batches of files, Batch File Modifier offers functions ranging from secure delete to the HTML Tidy function, a handy little tool that spruces up HTML content, fixing invalid code and adding some layout. We started with the batch rename tool, which will be popular with people who tend to let files pile up in their PCs. Clicking through the selection called up a tabbed Options panel with features for general file attributes as well as to Add, Remove, and Replace names and extensions, and Format functions. Batch File Modifier quickly renamed a file full of digital snapshots, replacing alphanumeric dates with a traditional form. We like the file attributes tool, too, which you can use to change values like Read Only or Archive for large batches of files at once.

In a world where even fees have fees, free, portable utilities that improve on built-in Windows tools offer remarkable value. Batch File Modifier is just such a tool: it's easy enough for the greenest noob yet flexible enough for power users.