Magic File Renamer 8 keeps the same batch-renaming ideas as MFR 7, but names, storage, and a few filters changed in the rewrite. Use the tables below to find the MFR 8 counterpart for a familiar MFR 7 feature.
Also see What's New, Version compatibility, and FAQs — MFR 7 presets.
When MFR 8 finds MFR 7 presets under %ProgramData%\FineBytes\MFR\Presets\ (.mps files), it can show a one-shot Import from MFR 7 dialog on first launch (or after Reset Configuration). OK converts those presets into MFR 8 JSON presets and then shows a short summary. Cancel or the window close button dismisses the offer without importing. The offer is shown once per preferences reset (until you use Reset Configuration); use Reset Configuration if you want to see it again.
Import is best-effort. Exact-name collisions skip that preset. Unsupported filters (for example FreeDB) are dropped from the chain with a note. Format strings are rewritten for known token peers (see Formatting tokens); unported tokens stay and warn. List filters embed file text when readable; missing list files import empty. Options settings, window layout, Explorer path, rename logs, and per-filter defaults are not migrated. See the tables below for renamed filters and other gaps.
| MFR 7 | MFR 8 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Filters | Filter Chain | Same ordered list of filters to apply; renamed everywhere in the UI and Help. |
| Generate Batch Renaming File | Tools → Generate Rename Script | Exports pending path and attribute changes as .bat or PowerShell .ps1. |
| Undo Last (writes immediately) | Undo Last (preview session) | Loads reverse values and clears the Filter Chain; nothing is written until you press GO again. |
| Console / MFRC | Console (mfrc) | See Console Mode. New flags include --dry-run, -o / --output-file, and --set. |
| Show Hidden (Rename List menu / Explorer) | Options — include hidden / system when adding | One preference drives File List visibility and Rename List add include. |
| Open UI with paths on the command line | Desktop UI positional SOURCES and --initial-folder | Seeds the Rename List and/or opens the File List. Add modifiers use console-style names (--files, --folders, -r, --include-hidden); omitted modifiers follow Options settings. Desktop launch is interactive only — use mfrc for preset / dry-run / confirm. See Command Line Parameters — Desktop UI. |
| MFR 7 | MFR 8 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| XML presets (.mps) | JSON presets | Best-effort one-shot import via Import from MFR 7 when ProgramData presets are found. You can still rebuild a chain and save a new preset. |
| Legacy shared config / session files | config.json under %AppData%\finebytes\mfr\ | Loads what it can; missing or corrupt settings fall back to defaults. MFR 7 Options settings are not imported; set them again in Options. See also Reset configuration. |
| MFR 7 group | MFR 8 group |
|---|---|
| Case | Case |
| Space | Space |
| Trimmer | Trimming |
| Replace | Replace |
| Format | Formatting |
| ID3 | Audio |
| Attrs | Attributes |
| Misc | Misc |
Most filters keep the same display name. These are the ones that changed. Full catalog: Filters.
| MFR 7 | MFR 8 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Remove Duplicate Characters | Shrink Duplicate Characters | Same behavior; renamed in the rewrite. |
| Trim Spaces Left | Strip Spaces Left | Same behavior; renamed in the rewrite. |
| Trim Spaces Right | Strip Spaces Right | Same behavior; renamed in the rewrite. |
| Date Setter + Time Setter | Date/Time Setter | One filter with optional Set date / Set time. |
| Set from FreeDB | — | Not shipped yet. May return in a later release. |
In MFR 7 these filters pointed at an external text file (browse / New / Reload). In MFR 8 the list text lives inside the filter — edit it in Filter Configuration; it is saved with the Filter Chain and JSON presets. There is no separate list file path, and no Reload step after editing outside the app.
| MFR 7 | MFR 8 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name List (path to a .txt file) | Name List — embedded Entries | One name per line in the filter options. Prefix / Suffix still support formatter tokens. Paste from an old list file, or use Rename List Edit as Name List. |
| Replace List (path to a replace-list file) | Replace List — embedded Entries | Pairs are one line each: search => replacement (not the MFR 7 two-line-per-pair file layout). Match mode and flags stay on the filter. |
| Casing List (path to a word list, e.g. MFRCaser.txt) | Casing List — embedded Words | One word per line (or comma-separated) in the filter options. Paste from an old casing file if you still have one. |
| <name-list-entry:path> formatter parameter | Name List filter | There is no Name List formatting token in MFR 8. Use the Name List filter (embedded entries) instead of a path inside a Formatter string. |
When you import an MFR 7 .mps preset, format strings are rewritten where MFR 8 has a peer: positional <counter>, <substr>, and <token> become named options; numeric <file-date> / <file-size> kinds and units become keywords (picture-taken date becomes <exif-date>); and <id3-*> field tokens become <audio-*> (the old tag-version argument is dropped). Tokens with no MFR 8 peer stay in the template and show as notes in the import summary.
| MFR 7 | MFR 8 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| <freedb-*>, <clipboard>, <name-list-entry:…> | — | No peer tokens. Left as-is on import with a warning. FreeDB filter steps are skipped entirely. Use the Name List filter instead of <name-list-entry>. |
| Image Tag columns / <imagetag-*> | Jpeg / EXIF columns; <exif-*> / <image-*> | TagLib Image Tag fields (Rating, Orientation, Creator, …) are not ported. Prefer EXIF and image property tokens where they cover the same data. See Formatting Tokens and Rename List Fields. |
| GeoNames / <geo-*> tokens | <geo-place> / <geo-region> / <geo-country>; Jpeg Geo Nearby columns | Online GeoNames findNearby (HTTPS). Options → Location GeoNames username defaults to the built-in account. See Nearby / GeoNames tokens and How to get a GeoNames username. MFR 7 image-nearby-* names are not aliased. |
| WMF / EMF image property tokens | — | Image property tokens no longer cover WMF or EMF. WebP (and EXIF on PNG / TIFF / WebP) are supported instead where MetadataExtractor can read them. |
Audio Apply Target (MediaTag / ID3 / ID3v1 / ID3v2; stock
MP3/V2_TrackCount)
|
Mapped to Audio Tag, ID3v1, or ID3v2 Apply To targets |
String-filter steps that apply to audio fields import with the matching MFR 8 target
(Audio Tag for MediaTag and ID3; explicit ID3v1 / ID3v2 when those groups are set;
stock MP3/V2_TrackCount → Track Count). Other unknown
MP3 ids stay skipped with a note.
|
| Contents / image Apply Target | Not imported | Steps that apply to file contents or image/EXIF fields are skipped with a note. |
Filters whose display names match MFR 7 (for example Capitalize After, Replacer, Formatter, Audio Tag Setter) are listed under Filters — they are not repeated here.