Techniques for renaming multiple files. A system establishes a rename state for a first file in a collection of files and, in the rename state, receives user input specifying a name for the first file. In response to the user input specifying the name, the system renames the first file according to the name and establishes a rename state for a second file in the collection of files. In the rename state, the system can display both the current name of the file and the file extension associated with the file. The system can protect the file extension such that the user cannot change the file extension in the rename state.