How to change the name of music on Android: a complete guide

Have you ever downloaded a song with an awkward name like DJ_XYZ_Remix_Final_V2.mp3 or received audio files from friends with cryptographic names like audio_1654321098.ogg? On Android, you can rename music in a dozen ways - from manual editing through Explorer to automatic processing of tags through specialized applications. But not all methods are equally convenient: some require root access, others work only with certain formats, and still others can corrupt the file’s metadata.

In this article we will examine 5 proven methods rename music on Android - from the simplest to the advanced. You'll learn how to properly edit titles without losing quality, which applications are best to use for batch processing, and why it's sometimes easier to edit ID3 tagsthan the file name itself. And also how to avoid common mistakes that cause music to stop playing in the player.

Spoiler: if you need to rename just a couple of tracks, a standard file manager will suffice. But if we are talking about hundreds of files with chaotic names, tools like MP3Tag or Music Brainz Picard will come in handy (yes, they work on Android too!). And for those who like automation, we'll show you how to use ADB for mass renaming directly from your computer.

1. The easiest way: rename through the file manager

If you need to change the name one or two tracks, the standard Google Files (or any other explorer) will handle it in 10 seconds. This method works on all versions of Android, does not require installation of additional applications and maintains the original audio quality.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open the application Files (or any other file manager, for example Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to the folder where the music is stored. Usually this is /Storage/emulated/0/Music/ or /Storage/emulated/0/Download/.
3. Find the desired audio file and Hold your finger on it. 1-2 seconds until the context menu appears.
4. Select item Rename (or Rename in English versions).
5. Enter a new name (for example, replace track1.mp3 with Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen.mp3) and click OK.

⚠️ Attention: If you are renaming files in the format .m4a or .flac, avoid using special characters like *, ?, \, /, :, |, ", <, >. Some players (for example, Google Play Music) may not display such files.

This method is suitable for single files, but if you have hundreds of tracks with random names, it is better to use the methods from the following sections. By the way, if you do not see the folder with music, check the settings of the file manager - the system directories may be hidden.

2. Changing the title through the player (VLC, Poweramp, Musicolet)

Many music players allow you to edit metadata tracks - that is, information about the title, artist, album and even cover art. This is convenient if you want to make changes. were displayed not only in the file name, but also in the player library. Let's look at the example of three popular applications.

VLC for Android (free, without unnecessary fluff):

• 📱 Open the track in the player and click on the three dots (⋮) next to the name.
• 🔍 Select Information (Media Information).
• ✏️ Click on the pencil (Edit) in the upper right corner.
• 📝 Change the fields Title, Artist or Album.
• 💾 Save the changes - the player will automatically update the metadata in the file.

Poweramp (paid version with trial period):

• 🎵 In the player library, find the track and hold your finger on it.
• 📋 Select Edit tags (Edit Tags).
• 🖋️ Enter edits in the fields Title, Artist or Album.
• 🔄 Click Save —the changes will be applied to the file itself.

Musicolet (free, without Internet):

• 🎶 Open the track and tap on the icon ⚙️ (settings).
• 📌 Select Edit tags.
• 📝 Change the required fields and save.

⚠️ Attention: Not all players save changes to the file itself - some (for example, YouTube Music or Spotify) If after editing in the player the file name in Explorer has not changed, use the methods from the following sections.

3. Batch renaming: bulk processing applications

If you have hundreds of tracks with names like 01 - Track 1.mp3, audio_12345.ogg or new_song(1).m4a, renaming them manually is a pain. Fortunately, there are applications that allow automatically to change file names using a template or based on metadata.

The best tools for batch renaming:

Example of working with Music Tag Editor:

1. Install the application and provide access to the storage.
2. Select a folder with music - the app will scan all audio files.
3. Click Batch Edit (batch editing).
4. Select a rename template, for example:

   {Artist} - {Title}.{ext}

   This will convert 01.mp3 to Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody.mp3if tags are filled.

5. Apply the changes - all files will be renamed in a few seconds.

⚠️ Attention: Before batch renaming be sure to make a backup copy of the music. An error in the template can lead to all files receiving the same names (for example, .mp3.mp3), and it will be difficult to restore the original names. impossible.

4. Editing ID3 tags: why is it better than renaming? Many users confuse ID3 tags. In fact, it is the tags that are more important for the player - they determine how the track will be displayed in the library. For example, a file may be called

Many users are confused file name And metadata (ID3 tags). In fact, it is the tags that are more important for the player - they determine how the track will be displayed in the library. For example, the file might be called song1.mp3, but if the tags indicate Artist=The Beatles and Title=Hey Jude, the player will show it as The Beatles — Hey Jude.

To change tags, it is not necessary to rename the file. Here's how to do it:

Method 1: Through specialized applications

• 📲 Install Star Music Tag Editor or Automatic Tag Editor.
• 🔍 Select a track and press Edit Tags.
• 📝 Fill in fields:
  • Title — track name;
  • Artist — artist;
  • Album — album;
  • Genre — genre;
  • Track — track number in the album.
• 💾 Save the changes - the tags will be updated in the file.

Method 2: Automatically filling tags

• 🤖 Use applications like MusicBrainz Picard (there is a version for Android).
• 🔍 The app will analyze the audio and find matches in the database.
• ✅ Confirm the suggested tags - they will be saved in the file.

⚠️ Attention: If you change the tags but do not rename the file, some players (for example Windows Media Player when you connect your phone to a PC) may display the old name. To avoid confusion, synchronize the file name and tags.

5. Advanced method: renaming via ADB (for experienced)

If you need to rename music programmatically (for example, by script) or you do not have access to the graphical interface, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method requires connecting your phone to a computer, but allows you to automate the process for thousands of files.

Here's how it works:

1. 🖥️ Install ADB on your computer (instructions are on the website Android Developers).
2. 📱 Enable USB debugging on your phone (Settings → About phone → Number assembly (tap 7 times) → For developers → USB debugging).
3. 🔌 Connect your phone to the PC and check the connection with the command:

   adb devices

   The name of your device should appear.

4. 📂 Go to the music folder:

   adb shell cd /sdcard/Music/

5. 🔄 Use the command mv to rename. For example, to change oldname.mp3 to newname.mp3:

   adb shell mv oldname.mp3 newname.mp3

6. 🤖 For batch renaming, write a script to Bash or Python. script to add the artist name to each file:

   for file in *.mp3; do
   mv "$file" "Queen - $file"
   done

   Save it as rename.sh and execute via ADB.

⚠️ Attention: Commands ADB are executed with user rights, but if you work with system folders (for example, /system/media/), will be required root access. An error in the command can lead to loss of files, therefore always test scripts on copies of data.

This method is suitable for experienced users who want to automate the process. For example, if you have a collection of 10,000 tracks, a script written once will save hours of time.

6. Features of renaming for different formats (MP3, FLAC, M4A)

Not all audio formats react equally to renaming. need to know:

MP3:

• 🔄 Supports ID3 tags (v1, v2.3, v2.4).
• ✅ Most players read metadata correctly.
• ⚠️ When renaming through Explorer, the tags do not change - only the file name.

FLAC:

• 📌 Uses tags Vorbis instead of ID3.
• 🔧 Supports more flexible metadata (for example, multiple artists).
• ⚠️ Some players (for example, standard Google Play Music) can do not display FLAC tags.

M4A (AAC):

• 🍎 Uses tags in the format MP4 (like iTunes).
• 🔄 Supports high-resolution album covers.
• ⚠️ When renaming through Explorer, the album thumbnail may be reset.

OGG:

• 📝 Uses tags Vorbis, like FLAC.
• ✅ Lightweight format, but not all players support tag editing.

WAV:

• 🚫 Does not support embedded tags (file name only).
• 🔧 To organize music in WAV, you will have to rely on the folder structure.

If you work with rare formats (for example, .ape or .wv), use specialized applications like foobar2000 (via Wine on Android) or MusicBee.

7. Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even experienced users sometimes encounter problems when renaming music. Here are the most common errors and ways to solve them:

1. Files have become invisible to the player

• 🔍 Cause: The player scans only certain folders (for example, /Music/), and you renamed the files to /Download/.
• ✅ Solution: Move the files to the standard music folder or add a new folder to the player settings.

2. After renaming, the tracks are duplicated in. library

• 🔍 Reason: The player considers the renamed file to be a new track, since the path has changed.
• ✅ Solution: Clear the player cache or rescan the library (Settings → Media file scanner).

3. Tags were reset after renaming

• 🔍 Cause: Some file managers (for example, ES Explorer) reset metadata when the name is changed.
• ✅ Solution: Use specialized applications for renaming (for example, MP3Tag).

4. The characters in the name are displayed as crappy

• 🔍 Reason: The player does not support encoding UTF-8 (for example, Cyrillic in file names).
• ✅ Solution: Replace Cyrillic with translit (for example, Song.mp3 → Pesnya.mp3).

5. Music stopped playing

• 🔍 Cause: When renaming, the extension was lost (for example, song instead of song.mp3).
• ✅ Solution: Turn on display of extensions in the file manager and add .mp3 (or other format) manually.

If none of the methods helped, try playing the file through VLC —it supports almost all formats and encodings.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about renaming music on Android

[Artist] - [Title].[ext]