> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thedrive.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rename Scanned PDFs by Content in The Drive AI

> The Drive AI reads each scan, even one with no text layer, and renames it from its contents, such as date, sender and document type

The Drive AI reads each scanned PDF, including scans with no text layer, and renames it from what's on the page: `scan_0043.pdf` becomes `2026-03-12 Acme Corp Invoice INV-10422.pdf`. Do it once for a folder you already have by asking the agent, or every time a scan arrives with a workflow. Nothing changes until you've seen the new names, and every rename can be undone.

## What you need

* **Scans stored in The Drive AI:** every plan.
* **Scans in Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint or Dropbox, or in a folder on a Mac, PC or NAS:** Max, Team, Business or Enterprise. See [Plans & Pricing](https://docs.thedrive.ai/account/plans-pricing.md).

## Rename a folder of scans you already have

**1. Open the folder**

Open the folder of scans, in The Drive AI or under **Connected** in the left sidebar.

**2. Describe the names you want**

Ask the [agent](https://docs.thedrive.ai/agent/overview.md), for example:

```text theme={null}
Rename these scans as date, sender and document type, like 2026-03-12 Acme Corp Invoice.pdf. Use the date printed on the document.
```

**3. Check the new names**

The agent shows a card with every old name and its new name. Change anything by typing what to do differently, then click **Apply N changes**. Click **Undo** on the card to put the old names back.

For a folder of thousands, do one subfolder first and check it. See [Clean up thousands of files](https://docs.thedrive.ai/guides/clean-up-thousands-of-files.md).

## Rename every new scan as it arrives

Set up a [workflow](https://docs.thedrive.ai/workflows/overview.md) with a **File Uploaded** trigger on the folder your scanner saves to, then a **Rename** step that describes the name, for example "date, client and document type. e.g. an Acme Corp invoice dated 12 Mar 2026 → 2026-03-12 Acme Corp Invoice.pdf". Add a **Move** step to file it at the same time. See [Steps](https://docs.thedrive.ai/workflows/steps.md#rename).

If your scanner puts several documents into one PDF, put a **Split Document** step first, for example "split into separate invoices". Each part is then renamed and filed on its own. See [Split Document](https://docs.thedrive.ai/workflows/steps.md#split-document).

Scanning with your phone works too: the [mobile app](https://docs.thedrive.ai/features/document-scanning.md) saves scans as PDFs into a folder a workflow watches, or hands them straight to the agent.

## What it can't do

* **It can occasionally misread a page.** A blurry scan or handwriting can give a wrong date or name. That's why the agent shows the names before applying them, and why a workflow can have **Ask a Person to Approve** check the ones it's unsure about.
* **Search across a connected drive may not find words that only appear in a scan.** The agent reads a scan when it opens it, but the drive's own search may not see inside it.
* **A folder on a device set to Names and dates only** isn't read into the index. The agent reads a file there only when you ask in a conversation. See [What the agent may read](https://docs.thedrive.ai/agent/local-folders-and-nas.md#what-the-agent-may-read).

## Related

> [card] [Organize files by content](https://docs.thedrive.ai/guides/organize-files-by-content.md)
>
> File and rename by what each document says.

> [card] [Invoices: split, read and file](https://docs.thedrive.ai/guides/process-invoices.md)
>
> Split batch scans, read amounts, file by vendor.

> [card] [Document scanning](https://docs.thedrive.ai/features/document-scanning.md)
>
> Scan paper with the mobile app.

> [card] [Preview, approve and undo](https://docs.thedrive.ai/guides/preview-approve-and-undo.md)
>
> How every change is shown and reversed.

> [card] [AI file organizer](https://thedrive.ai/ai-file-organizer)
>
> The product page: renaming and filing by content.


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