In computing, ren (or rename) is a command in various command-line interpreters (shells) such as COMMAND.COM, cmd.exe, 4DOS, 4NT and Windows PowerShell. It is used to renamecomputer files and in some implementations (such as AmigaDOS[1]) also directories. It is analogous to the Unixmv command. However, unlike mv, ren cannot be used to move files, as a new directory for the destination file may not be used. Alternatively, move may be used if available. On versions of MS-DOS that do not support the move command (older than 6.00), the user would simply copy the file to a new destination, and then delete the original file. A notable exception to this rule is DOSBox, in which ren may be used to move a file, since move is not supported.
The rename command is supported by Tim Paterson's SCP86-DOS.[26] On MS-DOS, the command is available in versions 1 and later.[27]DR DOS 6.0 also includes an implementation of the ren and rename commands.[28]
^Rügheimer, Hannes; Spanik, Christian (September 19, 1988). AmigaDOS quick reference. Grand Rapids, Mi : Abacus. ISBN 9781557550491 – via Internet Archive.
^Digital Research (July 1981) [1979]. MP/M - Multi-Programming Monitor Control Program - User's Guide(PDF) (4 ed.). Pacific Grove, CA, USA: Digital Research. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
^Digital Research (1981-09-25). MP/M-86 Operating System - User's Guide(PDF) (1 ed.). Pacific Grove, CA, USA: Digital Research. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
^86-DOS - Disk Operating System for the 8086 - User's Manual(PDF). Version 0.3 (Preliminary ed.). Seattle, Washington, USA: Seattle Computer Products, Inc. 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2019-07-14. (59 pages)
^Wolverton, Van (2003). Running MS-DOS Version 6.22 (20th Anniversary Edition), 6th Revised edition. Microsoft Press. ISBN 0-7356-1812-7.
^DR DOS 6.0 User Guide Optimisation and Configuration Tips
^"Microsoft TechNet PowerShell Rename-Item (ren) article". 22 October 2009.