File Naming, reloaded
If your “FINAL_FINAL_v3_now_correct.docx” had a method, it would not be a joke — it would be a convention.
- ··A file-naming scheme is knowledge architecture, not paperwork.
- ··Pick one scheme per domain (DIN 5008 for the office, SemVer for APIs, ISO 8601 for logs).
- ··Tooling is enough when a person can hit the pattern predictably.
Why this topic, now
We have crossed the line where file names stop serving the person and start blocking them. Cloud sync, AI search and compliance audits now treat the file name like an API — not like a sticky note.
The rules
YYYY-MM-DD at the start turns the file explorer into a timeline. ISO 8601 sorts alphabetically just as it sorts chronologically — free of cost.
One word, not a sentence. The scheme decides the order, not the length.
_v01, _v02 — two digits, starting at 01. Saves you sorting bugs from v10 onwards.
Status tags like _DRAFT, _REVIEW, _FINAL only when the workflow forces it. Otherwise it troubles the eye.
Keep the convention in lower case. Cloud storage sometimes does not tell upper and lower case apart — and you should not have to know.
Before / after
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Quote Patel Industries REVISED 2 (Copy)_FINAL_now_really.docx | 2026-05-01_quote_patelindustries_v03.docx |
Which scheme for which use case
- DIN 5008 (S1/S2): office, contracts, quotations, reportings.
- SemVer (S6): APIs, SDKs, software releases — MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.
- ISO 8601 + time (S3): logs, capture streams, telemetry.
- GAMP 5 (S5): regulated systems (pharma, medical devices).
- Logseq convention (S11): personal knowledge vaults with Git.
- SemVer
- Semantic Versioning — MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. MAJOR = breaking, MINOR = feature, PATCH = bugfix. The standard for APIs, because machines can compute on the order of the numbers.
# Example migration for a directory
for f in *.docx; do
mv "$f" "$(date -I)_${f// /_}"
doneThe human side
The commonest cause of failure is not the wrong scheme, but the missing example from the top. If the leadership team keeps sending “xyzFINAL.docx”, the team learns that the convention is optional.
A file-naming convention is 30% standard and 70% discipline.
Done in three weeks
- Week 1: decide the scheme (1 workshop, 90 min).
- Week 2: pilot in one team — old files live on, new ones follow the rule.
- Week 3: company-wide roll-out with a short cheat-sheet (1 PDF page).