# Batch Changing How Songs Are Identified **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [April 13, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/batch-changing-how-songs-are-identified/15650 "2014-04-13T09:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terry\_Washburn](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@Terry\_Washburn](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Terry_Washburn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/batch-changing-how-songs-are-identified/15650/1 "2014-04-13T09:57:44Z")
Have lots of songs in my library that are identified by track number, artist, name of song. Want to shorten it to only track number, and name of song, such as "01 Take it Easy". Any way to do that in a batch operation with Mp3tag without going in and redoing each song? Am newby.... ![:unsure:](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/1X/cfaeba84fe6704387c5b34dfdd8172bd51b6f533.gif ":unsure:") ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/batch-changing-how-songs-are-identified/15650/2 "2014-04-13T13:26:28Z")
> [@ishwash](#): > > .... Want to shorten it ... without going in and redoing each song? > > Am newby.... ![:unsure:](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/1X/cfaeba84fe6704387c5b34dfdd8172bd51b6f533.gif ":unsure:") That may be tricky - because how do you change something without redoing? Anyway: what are we talking about? Filename or a field inside the tag? Have you filled any fields? If so, you may use the function Convert\>Tag-Filename Use the mask $num(%track%,2) %title% It may be more readable if you inserted a separator between track number and title $num(%track%,2) \_ %title% ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Washburn](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@Terry\_Washburn](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Terry_Washburn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/batch-changing-how-songs-are-identified/15650/3 "2014-04-13T18:07:50Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > That may be tricky - because how do you change something without redoing? > > Anyway: what are we talking about? Filename or a field inside the tag? > Have you filled any fields? > > If so, you may use the function Convert\>Tag-Filename > Use the mask > $num(%track%,2) %title% > > It may be more readable if you inserted a separator between track number and title > $num(%track%,2) \_ %title% I think I have solved my problem if I am happy with no track number, just the track name showing in the music player. What I am talking about is when I load the song or a whole album into a player, it shows the song as track number, artist, and the name of the song, when all I want showing is the track number and the song. I figured Mp3tag could change that tag and scrub the artist's name off the listing so it only shows the track number and name of the song. I can do it with Mp3tag but in a way that gets rid of both the artist and the track number. Maybe that is what I really want anyway. According to other threads I have read it is better to not have the track no. listed by the player because its track number is already listed internally somehow, maybe I should just go with that because I can do it batch-wise and with just one "action". Under the Tag-Filename action I change it from %\_title% to %title% and it fixes all the songs I have loaded into Mp3tag. Thanks for responding. Well, if I do that, they all get out of order track-wise and are listed alphabetically. All I need is to highlight all the tracks and hit Tag-Filename action and install "%track%-%title%" in the little action window, hit OK and it "do it gud". Now don't tell me that everybody who read my thread didn't already know how to do this because I know better. Oh well, I may be 75 years old but I can still read and experiment (and listen to music that is has been well disciplined, by me... ![:rolleyes:](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/1X/3a79e8b0b7d169b30216785521d7c6f4f895c421.gif ":rolleyes:") ) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/batch-changing-how-songs-are-identified/15650/4 "2026-02-09T12:24:59Z")
Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:24pm UTC