This is a known Windows 11 bug. Here's another discussion about it:

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/when-i-try-to-rename-a-drive-file-explorer-renames-the-one-above-it-instead.13760/

As far as I know, Microsoft has not acknowledged or addressed the issue.

Please report it via the Feedback Hub (⊞-F).

For now, you can fix the issue by changing the Windows 11 right-click menu back to the classic right-click menu. That can be done with a simple registry setting. It's also an option in WinSetView.

Answer from Les Ferch on learn.microsoft.com
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 4166691 › windows-11-file-manager-cant-rename-correct-folder
Windows 11 File Manager, can't rename correct folder or filename - Microsoft Q&A
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This is a known Windows 11 bug. Here's another discussion about it:

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/when-i-try-to-rename-a-drive-file-explorer-renames-the-one-above-it-instead.13760/

As far as I know, Microsoft has not acknowledged or addressed the issue.

Please report it via the Feedback Hub (⊞-F).

For now, you can fix the issue by changing the Windows 11 right-click menu back to the classic right-click menu. That can be done with a simple registry setting. It's also an option in WinSetView.

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Hi Ronald,

I'm Christine, an Independent Advisor and a Windows user like you. I can see here that you're unable to rename files or folder from File explorer. No worries, I'll do my best to help you.

May I know when did the issue start? Is there any changes made?

Is it happening on specific folder or any files or folder?

Please check and follow the steps below:

  1. Please try to right click the file, select properties and you check if you will be able to rename the file there.
  2. Refresh explorer.exe

On Windows 11:

Right click on start menu and choose Task Manager

Click Details Tab and end the task of explorer.exe

Then click Run New Task and type explorer.exe and hit enter

  1. Update Windows

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upd...

Please let me know the result. I'll be happy to assist you all the way until it's resolved.

Thank you,

Christine L

Independent Advisor

🌐
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 4262327 › problems-with-renaming-in-windows-11
Problems with renaming in Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A
Does windows 11 allow this? ... I am Dave, I will help you with this. ... If you click a file, wait a second and then click it again, the rename box should appear. ... You can remove the 'Show More Options' on the context menu in Windows 11 File Explorer and use the old right click menu using the reg file on the link below, right click that file, choose Merge, then confirm the merge and restart your PC.
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How to Fix Cannot Rename Files in Windows 11
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Can't Rename File or Folder in Windows 11 - SOLVED - YouTube
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows11 › new file explorer in the latest update has a file rename bug.
r/Windows11 on Reddit: New File explorer in the latest update has a file rename bug.
October 22, 2023 -

  1. click once to file name to enable typing cursor and highlighted name.

  2. click at the position in the word where you want to make changes

  3. press space or do something else, poof the name disappears fully

Happens randomly. Only way to deal with it to accept the new name and then undo file rename. FFS 😒

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It's sad that we were forced an update with a file Explorer that should still be in alpha/beta :(
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Hi u/babachisays , thanks for reporting this bug! The proper way to report a bug to Microsoft is to submit it in the "Feedback Hub" app, and then edit your post with the link, so people can upvote it. The more users vote on your feedback, the more likely it's going to be addressed in a future update! Follow these simple steps: Open the "Feedback Hub" app and try searching for your issue, someone may have already submitted similar. If not, go back to the home screen and click "Report a problem" Follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure you include as much information as possible, and try to include screenshots and use the recording feature if possible. Once done, click "Submit". Click "Share my feedback" and open the feedback you submitted Click "Share" and copy the unique link Edit your Reddit post and paste the link you just copied I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › i was mad at windows 11 for literal years because microsoft put the rename file option behind the "show more options" menu...
r/windows on Reddit: I was mad at Windows 11 FOR LITERAL YEARS because Microsoft put the Rename file option behind the "show more options" menu...
August 13, 2025 -

It was right there, on the top. The whole time. The WHOLE time. I don't know how to process this.

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This also annoyed me, then I learned that you can press F2 when the file is highlighted to rename it.
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For what it's worth, with Windows 11 24H2 we added labels to the icons to make them easier to recognize
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Eleven Forum
elevenforum.com › windows support forums › general support
Cannot rename long files names to short file names. | Windows 11 Forum
June 11, 2023 - OPTION 1 (Software) Download Total Commander: WEBSITE: Total Commander - Download DIRECT DOWNLOAD: https://totalcommander.ch/win/tcmd1052x64.exe Choose language, select No, Next, Next and Next, then click OK. Open Total commander, find the files you want to rename and then select them, and then this icon: OPTION 2 - MUCH PREFFERED CHOICE Use 7zip or WINRAR to renmae them, just open your prefered one and then direct to the folder, and rename the file as you wish!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › why cant i rename files??
r/windows on Reddit: why cant I rename files??
July 17, 2024 -

no message pops up and I have permission for it so in pretty pissed, any solutions????

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The only time I've seen this (with no error) is when you try to only change the case of a filename, eg change Test.jpg to test.jpg - it fails with no error (although I think this was fixed in a recent Win 11 update).
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There is a good chance the file is in use... though it is odd that you don't get an error message. You could try to copy the file to a new file with the desired name and then try to delete the old file.
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The Windows Club
thewindowsclub.com › the windows club › cannot rename files in windows 11 [fix]
Cannot rename files in Windows 11 [Fix]
If you cannot rename a file because the name is too long, you will get an error message saying that The file name is too long; you need to shorten the name. You cannot use a name, which has more than 255 characters in it.
Published   March 29, 2025
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Eleven Forum
elevenforum.com › windows support forums › general support
I can't rename folders. | Windows 11 Forum
April 16, 2022 - Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz ... Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz ... This looks like Protected folders issue. Ant ransomware protection that protects from Windows system files too.
Find elsewhere
🌐
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › windows › 8 ways to fix windows 11 when you can’t rename folders
8 Ways to Fix Windows 11 When You Can’t Rename Folders
February 17, 2023 - Controlled folder access is a Windows feature designed to stop any malicious or suspicious apps from accessing your files and folders. However, this feature might be the reason why you can’t rename folders on your computer.
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Super User
superuser.com › questions › 1933295 › why-can-t-i-rename-folders-in-a-windows-11-fresh-install
Why can’t I rename folders in a Windows 11 fresh install? - Super User
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Completely replacing the following registry key should resolve the error.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

The following REG file has the default settings:

W11_folder_descriptions.reg (zipped)

However, it must be imported as TrustedInstaller; otherwise, the access denied error will occur.

Note: Please create a System Restore Point before doing the above.

Reference:

Fix: Cannot Rename or Move Folders - The File or folder does not exist

🌐
Guiding Tech
guidingtech.com › home › 4 ways to fix unable to rename folders on windows 11
4 Ways to Fix Unable to Rename Folders on Windows 11 - Guiding Tech
May 14, 2024 - Install Windows updates: Windows 11 may be having trouble renaming folders due to a bug. If that’s the case, installing pending software updates should help. Windows Explorer is a process that provides the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for ...
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Windows 11 Forums
windows11forums.com › windows 11 forums › general discussion
File Renaming | Windows 11 Forums
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At an open directory window, I right-click a file to rename it. After entering the new name, Windows sometimes refuses the action due to "File in use". This is surely ok, but why doesn't Windows refuse the action at its beginning rather than letting me type a possibly long name in vain? The issue you are raising reminds me the early days of computing. Back then, when typing an incorrect password a generic error message stating "Incorrect password entered" was presented by the system. As time pasted, that message was modified and added the "is the caps lock key turned on." Quite often that was exactly the reason my password wouldn't be recognized. Perhaps, as time goes by, the same type of message may present itself with some sort of clarification when clicking the "Change Name" option; such as "Close file to change name."
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*All we had was DOS in those days, and very old IBM PC's, with NO hard drives, only Floppy Disks. My first was with an AMD CPU 80386/40MHzs with 4MB RAM and 120MB HDD. It had both the 3.5" and 5.25" floppy drives, also had a Panasonic KP2124 Dot-Matrix printer with the color ribbon add-on. It ran MS-DOS 5 and Windows 3.1.
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WebNots
webnots.com › home › tech tips › windows › how to fix can’t rename folder issue in windows 11?
How to Fix Can't Rename Folder Issue in Windows 11? – WebNots
February 24, 2023 - First, check if your folder is open in another program or you are editing the files in the folder. For example, Windows will not allow you to rename the folder when you are editing a Word document located in a folder.
🌐
The Windows Club
thewindowsclub.com › the windows club › cannot rename folders in windows 11 [fix]
Cannot rename Folders in Windows 11 [Fix]
Most often, if a file located inside that folder is active or being used by another program, the folder can not be renamed. Also, corrupted system files or misconfiguration can trigger this issue.
Published   March 29, 2025
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windowshelp › can't move/rename folders after windows 11 release preview update kb5014958
r/WindowsHelp on Reddit: Can't move/rename folders after Windows 11 Release Preview update KB5014958
July 3, 2022 -

[SOLVED] See comment below!

Hi all,

After the latest Release Preview update (KB5014958) I'm faced with a really weird issue:

Whenever I try to rename a folder or move one, I get an error with the following messages:

  • Can't find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct path and file name. https://i.imgur.com/sRU4Zaa.png

  • [After I click Try Again] The file or folder does not exist. https://i.imgur.com/48cS2Ls.png

EDIT: Windows support suggests using the "Create Installation Media" tool from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11/ to revert back to non-preview 22H1; is there any reason I shouldn't do that? Won't it basically reinstall a fresh OS and wipe my C drive?

Individual files aren't a problem, just folders.

All folders are affected, including folders on external drives.

I cannot rename folders through PowerShell either.

I've done a bit off checking online and have currently:

  • Run scf /scannow

  • Run Dsip /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScannHealth (no errors found)

  • Run a chkdisk on my C drive.

  • Tried renaming some registry entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHONE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions as suggested on a few threads online (I've restored them since then because it didn't do a thing)

  • Uninstalled & reinstalled KB5014958.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Does anyone have suggestions as to what I should do at this point?

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OK, so after some extensive digging, I have found a solution!! The issue was indeed with keys within the Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions registry folder. Specifically, the following keys were present with a ParsingName entry, but no other entries; which basically means they were broken from what I can tell: {0ddd015d-b06c-45d5-8c4c-f59713854639} {35286a68-3c57-41a1-bbb1-0eae73d76c95} {a0c69a99-21c8-4671-8703-7934162fcf1d} {f42ee2d3-909f-4907-8871-4c22fc0bf756} After renaming them and logging out/in, everything is in order as far as I can tell! From what I can find online, these are connected to OneDrive (which I have uninstalled) and possibly Videos/Music folders (which I have hidden from "This PC" in the Explorer sidebar, a pretty common visual hack). I'm not exactly sure what caused this, but the "hacks" I used that seem to be the cause are pretty common Windows tweaks.
🌐
AR15
ar15.com › forums › general › -ARCHIVED-THREAD-Windows-11-won-t-let-me-rename-files › 124-2774653
Windows 11 won't let me rename files > All Things Tech > AR15.COM
When using the File Explorer I can't rename files. I used to be able to right-click and select Rename from a menu, now that option isn't even visible.
🌐
Windows 11 Forums
windows11forums.com › windows 11 forums › windows 11 support
Can't rename folder in Windows 11 | Windows 11 Forums
July 16, 2024 - I GUESS my problem started when a "crash" happened during backup routine, and all folder attributes we set to A-Archive, and because of the "crash" the attributes and also the 'right to rename or move folders' were not set back properly? Maybe this info can help someone in their search for a fix? If I connect a new drive, the problem is the same on that external drive. If I make another admin user for the PC, the error still persists.
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MiniTool Partition Wizard
partitionwizard.com › home › partition magic › [quick fix]: cannot rename files in windows
[Quick Fix]: Cannot Rename Files in Windows - MiniTool Partition Wizard
September 6, 2023 - After restarting, you can try to rename the file again. If you cannot rename files because the file access is denied, you can change the owner of the file.
🌐
The Geek Page
thegeekpage.com › cannot-rename-files
Fix : Cannot Rename Files Issue in Windows 11 / 10
August 26, 2022 - So, if you are confronting this ... One of the scenarios where you can face this issue with renaming a file is when the file name is very long....