Forum Discussion
press the F2 key to rename a file, the Select All status for the filename is automatically cleared.
After selecting a file and pressing F2 to enter rename mode, the filename should be selected in its entirety, but the cursor automatically positions itself after the file extension rather than at the beginning of the filename. You have to manually select the filename portion to edit it, which is inconvenient.
2 Replies
Click Options on the right, then select Change folder and search options.
Normally, pressing F2 in File Explorer selects only the main filename and leaves the extension unselected. This is intentional, as it helps prevent extensions such as .jpg or .docx from being changed accidentally.
However, if the selection immediately disappears and the cursor moves to the end of the extension without any additional click, that is not the expected behavior.
First, open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart. If the issue returns, temporarily disable third-party File Explorer extensions or customization tools and test again. A clean boot can also help confirm whether another program is interfering with rename mode.
As a temporary workaround, press F2, then Ctrl + A to select the entire filename, including its extension.
