Questions and answers

Yes. Everything you do by hand is free, for good: previewing and renaming, moving subtitles along, downloading subtitles for files you pick, asking your media server to scan, undo and rename history, hard links, presets and themes. The Docker version for servers and NAS boxes is free too.

PathRenamer Pro is only for what costs money to run: subtitles downloaded automatically after every rename. The automatic Pro features come with a free 14-day trial. See Free and Pro.

Missing subtitles in your languages, downloaded automatically after every rename. That's the one part that costs money to run: the subtitle service charges per download. The watch folder, media server scans and everything else are free. Turning automatic subtitles on starts a free 14-day trial. If Pro isn't for you, you get your money back within 14 days of buying.

Yes. The names PathRenamer writes (Movie (Year) folders, S01E01 episodes, .eng.srt subtitles) are the ones Plex, Jellyfin, Emby and Kodi all read. PathRenamer can also ask any of them to scan: connect your server under Settings → Automation → Media Server. Apps that play from these servers, like Plezy, show the new files as soon as the server has them.

It can. Windows SmartScreen shows Windows protected your PC for apps from new publishers that don't have a paid code-signing certificate yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer is built by GitHub from the public source code.

PathRenamer checks for a new version once a day. When one is out, Update to … appears at the bottom right of the window: click it, and the new version is downloaded from GitHub, checked and installed, and PathRenamer starts again with your settings. You can also click Help → Check for Updates. In Docker, run docker compose pull and docker compose up -d.

Yes. Turn on Settings → Options → Keep PathRenamer running in the tray, and closing the window leaves it next to the clock, still watching your downloads folder. Start PathRenamer in the tray when Windows starts starts it there whenever you sign in.

Yes. Ask within 14 days of buying, using the support contact in your Polar receipt email, and you get your money back, no questions asked.

Yes. Undo Last puts the last batch back, and Edit → Rename History can undo older renames, even after closing the app. Subtitles PathRenamer downloaded for a rename are removed with it.

Yes. Set Settings → Options → When renaming to Hard-link the files. Your library gets the new names while the torrent keeps its files, without using extra space. See Rename for Plex and keep seeding.

Yes: fansub names like [Group] Show - 12 (1080p).mkv, absolute episode numbers, and titles looked up on TVmaze and AniDB. You choose season numbers (S01E12) or absolute numbers in the format settings.

They are found and renamed with their video, with the language Plex expects: Movie (2021).eng.srt, Movie (2021).spa.srt, and .forced or .sdh where the name says so.

No. It reads file names, and the start and end of a file to tell its resolution and codecs. Titles are looked up on TVmaze, Cinemeta and AniDB (and TMDB if you add a key). When you download subtitles, OpenSubtitles gets the file's fingerprint and title. There are no ads and no tracking. Details: Privacy.

Yes, with Docker. The Docker version runs on Linux, a Mac, a NAS (Synology, Unraid, QNAP, TrueNAS) or a Raspberry Pi. It names files exactly like the Windows app, renames new downloads on its own, and has every free feature. See the Docker guide. The app with a window is for Windows 10 and 11.

In %APPDATA%\PathRenamer: config.json (settings), history.json (rename history, for undo) and a log file. Your media server token or key and OpenSubtitles password are stored encrypted for your Windows account. In Docker, everything is in the /config folder.

Open an issue on GitHub. Include the file name that went wrong and what you expected; the log file in %APPDATA%\PathRenamer helps too.