How to Rename a File, Folder, or Directory from VBA, Visual Basic 6, Microsoft Office/Access/Excel

Provided by: FMS Development Team

Did you know there is a built-in statement in VB6/VBA/Office/Access/Excel that allows you to do this without using API calls and without referencing the File System?

From the VB6, VBA, Office/Access Help File

The Name statement moves the file to the new directory or folder and renames the file, if necessary. Here's the syntax:

  Name OldPathName As NewPathName

Name can move a file across drives, but it can only rename an existing directory or folder when both OldPathName and NewPathName are located on the same drive. Name cannot create a new file, directory, or folder.

If OldPathName and NewPathName have different paths, and the same file name, the Name statement moves the file to the new location and leaves the file name unchanged.

Using Name, you can move a file from one directory or folder to another, but you cannot move a directory or folder.

Using Name on an open file produces an error. You must close an open file before renaming it. Name arguments cannot include multiple-character (*) and single-character (?) wildcards.

Note

Our example below only provides support for files or simple folder renaming (e.g. the path folder does not exist). Renaming a directory to a name that already exists is more complicated and may be included in a future tip.

Sample Code

Public Function TestNameStatement()

  Dim fOK As Boolean

  ' Folders must exist for Source, but do not need to exist _

  ' for destination

  fOK = RenameFileOrDir("C:\TestFolder\test.txt", _

        "C:\TestFolder\test_NEWNAME.txt")

  fOK = RenameFileOrDir("C:\TestFolder\test.txt", _

        "D:\TestFolder\test_NEWNAME.txt")

  ' Folder must exist for source

  fOK = RenameFileOrDir("C:\TestFolder", _
        "C:\TestFolder_NEWNAME")
 

  ' Folders only will fail across drives

  fOK = RenameFileOrDir("C:\TestFolder", "D:\TestFolder") 

End Function

Public Function RenameFileOrDir( _

  ByVal strSource As String, _

  ByVal strTarget As String, _

  Optional fOverwriteTarget As Boolean = False) As Boolean

  On Error GoTo PROC_ERR

  Dim fRenameOK As Boolean

  Dim fRemoveTarget As Boolean

  Dim strFirstDrive As String

  Dim strSecondDrive As String

  Dim fOK As Boolean

  If Not ((Len(strSource) = 0) Or _

         (Len(strTarget) = 0) Or _

         (Not (FileOrDirExists(strSource)))) Then

    ' Check if the target exists

    If FileOrDirExists(strTarget) Then

      If fOverwriteTarget Then

        fRemoveTarget = True

      Else

        If vbYes = MsgBox("Do you wish to overwrite the " & _

           "target file?", vbExclamation + vbYesNo, _

           "Overwrite confirmation") Then

          fRemoveTarget = True

        End If

      End If

      If fRemoveTarget Then

        ' Check that it's not a directory

        If ((GetAttr(strTarget) And vbDirectory)) <> _
           vbDirectory Then

          Kill strTarget

          fRenameOK = True

        Else

          MsgBox "Cannot overwrite a directory", vbOKOnly, _

            "Cannot perform operation"

          'FUTURE CODE FOR DIRECTORIES

        End If

      End If     

    Else

      ' The target does not exist

      ' Check if source is a directory

      If ((GetAttr(strSource) And vbDirectory) = _

           vbDirectory) Then         

        ' Source is a directory, see if drives are the same

        strFirstDrive = Left(strSource, InStr(strSource, ":\"))

        strSecondDrive = Left(strTarget, InStr(strTarget, ":\"))

        If strFirstDrive = strSecondDrive Then

          fRenameOK = True

        Else

          MsgBox "Cannot rename directories across drives", _

            vbOKOnly, "Cannot perform operation"

          'FUTURE CODE FOR DIRECTORIES ON DIFFERENT DRIVES

        End If     

      Else

        'It's a file, ok to proceed

        fRenameOK = True

      End If

    End If

    If fRenameOK Then

      Name strSource As strTarget

      fOK = True

    End If

  End If

  RenameFileOrDir = fOK

PROC_EXIT:

  Exit Function

PROC_ERR:

  MsgBox "Error: " & Err.Number & ". " & Err.Description, , _

         "RenameFileOrDir"

  Resume PROC_EXIT 

End Function

Public Function FileOrDirExists(strDest As String) As Boolean
  Dim intLen As Integer
  Dim fReturn As Boolean

  fReturn = False

  If strDest <> vbNullString Then
    On Error Resume Next
    intLen = Len(Dir$(strDest, vbDirectory + vbNormal))
    On Error GoTo PROC_ERR
    fReturn = (Not Err And intLen > 0)
  End If

PROC_EXIT:
  FileOrDirExists= fReturn
  Exit Function

PROC_ERR:
  MsgBox "Error: " & Err.Number & ". " & Err.Description, , _

         "FileOrDirExists"
  Resume PROC_EXIT
End Function