Custom File Naming

Downloaded videos often have messy filenames — video IDs, random strings, or titles that don't match what you actually want. Fetchii lets you set a naming pattern that names your downloads exactly how you want them.

The Template System

Instead of accepting whatever filename the source provides, you can define a pattern using variables that Fetchii fills in automatically. Variables are written in curly braces, like {title} or {uploader}, and get replaced with actual values when the file is saved.

For example, the pattern {uploader} - {title} might produce TechReviewer - Best Laptops 2026.mp4. Every download follows your pattern, creating consistent, organized files. The file extension is added automatically.

Setting Your Naming Pattern

Open Fetchii → Settings → Downloads and find the File Names & Folders group. The Download naming pattern field holds your pattern. The default is {title}_{resolution}.

The editor helps you build a pattern without memorizing anything:

• Presets — a menu of ready-made patterns: Title, Title_Resolution, Date Title and Number Title
• Variable chips — under "Click to add to the name:", click a chip such as Title or Upload date to add its variable to the end of the pattern
• Example — a live preview of the filename your pattern produces for a sample video

The pattern applies to every new download. There's no per-download naming option; to rename a file you already have, right-click its row and choose Smart Rename (see Summaries and Smart Naming). Livestream recordings have their own pattern under Settings → Recording → Naming.

Available Variables

These are all the variables Fetchii understands:

Basic Information

Technical Details

Playlist Information

When a whole playlist is downloaded at once, Video ID, Channel, Upload date, Duration and Views aren't available — the settings page says so right under the field.

Practical Template Examples

Let's look at some patterns that solve real organizational problems.

Simple and Clean

{title}

Just the video title. Clean and readable. Works well if your downloads are diverse and don't need elaborate organization.

Result: Best Laptops 2026.mp4

Including Quality

{title} [{resolution}]

When you download multiple qualities of the same video, or just want to know at a glance what quality each file is.

Result: Best Laptops 2026 [1080p].mp4

Channel First

{uploader} - {title}

Files from the same channel sort next to each other in Finder. A pattern can't create folders (see below), so this is the way to keep a channel's videos together.

Result: TechReviewer - Best Laptops 2026.mp4

Chronological Archive

{upload_date} {title}

Perfect for archiving content where you want files sorted by date. Dates in YYYY-MM-DD format sort correctly in Finder.

Result: 2026-01-07 Best Laptops 2026.mp4

Playlist Episodes

{playlist_index} {title}

The playlist number always has at least two digits (01, 02… instead of 1, 2…), so episodes sort correctly.

Result: 05 Spanish Lesson - Greetings.mp4

Full Archive Template

{upload_date} {uploader} - {title} [{resolution}]

Maximum information in one name: date, channel, title and quality. Great for large archives where you want to find anything quickly.

Result: 2026-01-07 TechReviewer - Best Laptops 2026 [1080p].mp4

Ensuring Uniqueness

{title} [{id}]

Including the video ID guarantees uniqueness even if two videos have identical titles. Essential if you download from sources that might have duplicate titles.

Result: Best Laptops 2026 [abc123xyz].mp4

Folders and Missing Values

Playlist Folders

A pattern can't create subfolders. To keep playlists together, turn on Create playlist folders in the same group (it's on by default). When you download a playlist, Fetchii creates a subfolder named after the playlist.

Missing Values

Not every video has every piece of metadata. If a variable has no value, Fetchii leaves it out together with the separator next to it, so you never get a literal {uploader} or a dangling _ in the name. If the whole pattern ends up empty, the video title is used.

What the Editor Warns About

The editor checks your pattern as you type:

• Unknown variables — anything in braces Fetchii doesn't recognize (including yt-dlp-style %(title)s fields) is listed as "Not recognized, kept as typed" and would appear literally in the filename
• Slashes and colons — / and : become _; a name can't create subfolders
• Empty pattern — the video title is used

How Fetchii Handles Special Characters

Operating systems don't allow certain characters in filenames. Fetchii automatically replaces problematic characters with underscores (_):

• Slashes (/ and \)
• Colons (:)
• Asterisks (*)
• Question marks (?)
• Quotes (")
• Angle brackets (< and >)
• Pipes (|)

This applies both to your pattern and to values like titles. Fetchii also removes invisible control characters and keeps every name within the 255-byte limit macOS allows.

You don't need to worry about invalid filenames — Fetchii handles sanitization automatically.

Tips for Good Templates

Keep it simple. A pattern like {title} or {uploader} - {title} serves most people well. Don't add complexity unless you need it.

Include the ID for uniqueness. If you're building a large archive, {title} [{id}] prevents naming conflicts when different videos have the same title.

Check the example first. The Example line under the field shows exactly what a filename will look like before you start a batch of downloads.

Consider filename length. Very long titles make long filenames. Fetchii shortens names that would exceed the macOS limit, but shorter patterns are easier to work with.

Use dates for archival. If you're building a long-term archive, including {upload_date} makes it easy to find when content was originally published.

Troubleshooting

Variables showing literally (not replaced): The editor lists them as "Not recognized, kept as typed". Check the spelling against the table above — variables are lowercase — or add them with the chips instead of typing.

Part of the name is missing: That video doesn't have that metadata, or you downloaded a whole playlist at once, where some variables aren't available. Use variables that are always present, like {title}.

Expected a folder but got underscores: Patterns can't create folders. Use Create playlist folders for playlists, or put the information you want to group by at the start of the name.