How to Keep Original Image Filenames When Downloading
Source filenames often carry real meaning: a SKU, a date, a model number, a slug your team already uses. Lose them to a generic rename and you lose searchability. The goal here is to keep original image filenames through a bulk download instead of letting the browser flatten everything into image(1).jpg.
Why bulk downloads mangle names
When a batch saves dozens of files at once, two things go wrong. Chrome appends (1), (2) when names repeat across sources, and CDN query strings turn a clean name into photo.jpg?w=800. Both make it hard to keep original image filenames unless you give the downloader explicit instructions about how to name files.
Keep original image filenames with the Filename Constructor
The Filename Constructor is built for exactly this. It uses drag-and-drop segments and tokens, so you can build a pattern that leans on the original name rather than overwriting it. Extensions are appended automatically, so you never end up with a double .jpg.jpg. If you want the source name preserved as-is, base your pattern on it and skip the heavy templating. To keep original image filenames and still guarantee uniqueness, add a small auto-incrementing sequence or a [timestamp] token only as a suffix, so the recognizable name stays intact while collisions disappear.
Map exact names from a list
When you already know what each file should be called, feed a custom list. The Filename Constructor accepts a .csv or .txt of names, mapping them to your URLs in order. Those custom names are stored in customFilename.filenames and survive export and re-import, so a naming scheme you set once travels with the task. This is the cleanest path when you need to keep original image filenames that come from a spreadsheet rather than from the URLs themselves.
- Prepare a .csv or .txt with one name per line, matching URL order.
- Load it into the Filename Constructor.
- Let extensions auto-append so you never double them.
Because that mapping lives in the task and survives export and import, the naming scheme becomes part of the project rather than a one-time chore. Re-run the task next month and the files come back named exactly as before, no spreadsheet juggling required.
Clean the URLs so names stay tidy
Query strings sabotage clean naming. Run the Redirect Checker to resolve links to their canonical destination, then use a Not Contains or Regex Download IF URL rule to skip parameter-heavy variants. With the noise gone, the original name comes through clean instead of trailing ?v=3. It is a small step, but it is the difference between a folder you can search by SKU and one full of garbled query-string names.
A routine that keeps original image filenames
- Resolve and clean URLs with the Redirect Checker and IF-URL rules.
- In the Filename Constructor, base the pattern on the source name.
- Add a sequence or timestamp suffix only to prevent collisions.
- For exact names, load a .csv/.txt mapping that survives export/import.
Everything runs locally in your browser, so your names and files never leave the machine. To keep original image filenames across big jobs without manual cleanup, install Bulk Image Downloader From URL List and let the Filename Constructor protect your naming scheme.
