How to Rename Photos and Videos on an iPhone

There can be a number of reasons for wanting to rename the photos and videos on your iPhone. You may want to give your cherished moments more meaningful names than the cryptic ones automatically assigned, or you may want to make your photos and videos easily searchable within the Photos app.

The process to do this on an iPhone is more complicated than it needs to be, but not impossible to achieve. Here, we’ll guide you through the steps to rename your precious photo and video files, whether through the built-in Files app or third-party solutions like Metapho.

Is It Possible to Rename Photos and Videos on an iPhone?

Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to rename your photos and videos directly from your iPhone’s Photos app. Your iPhone assigns each image and video a name consisting of the keyword “IMG” followed by a unique four-digit number (for example, IMG_xxxx). In some cases, the file name consists of a random set of characters, including numbers and letters.

However, you can rename your saved photos and videos using the Files app or third-party apps like Metapho. We will cover exactly how to do that below.

Rename Photos by Saving Them to the Files App

Here’s how to rename your iPhone photos and videos using the Files app:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Choose the photo or video you want to rename.
3. Tap on the Share icon in the bottom-left corner.
4. Scroll down and tap the Save to Files option.
5. A new window appears. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the image’s current name. Change this to whatever you desire.
6. Once you’ve renamed your picture, tap Save in the top-right corner to confirm your choice.

After saving the renamed image to the Files app, find it in the app and tap the image name at the top of the screen. Then, tap Save to Photos. The image will be saved to the Photos app with the new name.

Use Third-Party Apps to Rename Photos and Videos

In some cases, the above method doesn’t work as well as you’d hoped, and the Files app might still save the renamed image with its original name to your device. This can happen due to software glitches or if you’re on an older iOS version.

So, the next best option is to use a third-party app that will let you rename your photos easily. Metapho is the best iPhone app for editing the metadata of your photos, and it also lets you rename your photos effortlessly.

1. Download the Metapho app from the App Store. Once downloaded, launch the app and grant it access to your photos when prompted.
2. All your photos and photo albums from the Photos app will appear in the Metapho app. Locate and tap the image you wish to rename.
3. Tap the image name at the top of the screen and tap the Save As… option that appears.
4. Rename the image in the popup that appears and tap Done.

The Metapho app automatically saves the renamed image in the Photos app. It honestly doesn’t get any simpler than this.

Download: Metapho (Free, subscription available)

Renaming Your Photos Is Possible on an iPhone

If you’re tired of generic names like “IMG_xxxx” for photos and videos stored on your iPhone, you have options. Although the built-in Photos app doesn’t allow you to rename images directly, you can work around this problem by using alternative methods.

You can either use the Files app or rely on third-party apps like Metapho to rename your image and video files. With these workarounds, you can ensure your digital album is personalized and easily searchable.