How to use naming conventions in Dropbox

Naming conventions help you rename files and organize folders within your Dropbox account. Setting a naming convention helps maintain consistency with your Dropbox content, giving your files uniform names for easier sorting and navigation.

How to set naming conventions

To set naming conventions on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Open the folder you’d like to organize.
3. Click Organize.
4. Click Set naming convention.
5. Select the naming convention(s) you want to apply: 
   • Date uploaded
     • You can check the box next to Replace with existing dates detected in filenames, or change the date format with the dropdown.
   • Keyword
   • Parent folder
   • Date captured
     • You can check the box next to Replace with existing dates detected in filenames, or change the date format with the dropdown.
   • Camera make
   • Camera model
   • Lens model
   • Dimensions
   • Dots per inch (DPI)
   • Dots per centimeter (DPCM)
6. Click and drag the move icon (arrows pointing in four directions) to change the order of the elements in the naming convention.
7. Click Add rule to add additional rules.
   • Note: Click the trash can icon next to a rule to delete it.
8. Check the box next to Capitalize initials to capitalize the first letter of each word in the file name, if you’d like.
9. Check the box next to Separate words with to change the character that separates each word in the file name, if you’d like.
   • Select Spaces, Underscores, or Dashes in the dropdown.
10. Check the box next to Apply these rules to all future files in this folder, if you’d like.
11. Click Set.

To set naming conventions from the Dropbox desktop app:

1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Right-click on the folder you’d like to organize.
3. Hover over Organize.
4. Select Set naming convention.

You’ll be redirected to dropbox.com where you can follow the instructions from step 5 in the section above.

FAQs

Can you apply naming conventions to select files?

Currently, naming conventions can only be applied to folders, not individual files.

Can a naming convention be applied on a team folder? If so, who can apply it?

Yes, naming conventions can be used with team folders. Any team member with edit access can apply it.

Note: Naming conventions can’t be applied to top-level folders in your team space or team member folder.

Will naming conventions be automatically applied to new files?

You will have the option to apply naming conventions automatically to new files added to a folder. Check the box next to Apply these rules to all future files in this folder to use this setting.

Can naming conventions be undone?

If a naming convention was set in error, it can be undone by deleting all rules and unchecking all boxes in the editing window, or by clicking Undo in the panel that appears at the bottom of the screen.

If you have access to Dropbox Rewind, you can also rewind your folder to revert the naming convention changes.

What does “Replace with existing dates detected in filenames” mean?

Replace with existing dates detected in filenames is a checkbox you can mark if you add Date uploaded or Date captured as a rule in your naming convention.

• If you add either Date uploaded or Date captured as a rule, you can check the box to use any date detected in the filename in place of the file’s upload or capture date.
• If you add multiple date rules, you can only check the box for one of the rules.

Note: If you change the date format to include a timestamp, the checkbox will be disabled.