Accidentally renamed files lose their original identifiers, potentially causing confusion. Recovery involves reverting to prior naming schemes or identifying unchanged content metadata like creation dates or unique hashes. This differs from content recovery as the file data remains intact; only its label changed. Success depends on available reference points and the renaming context.

For system backups like Windows File History or macOS Time Machine, you can browse file versions stored before the change and restore the original name. Without backups, dedicated file recovery tools such as Recuva or Recuva for Mac scan storage devices for prior naming entries if the file hasn't been overwritten; this utilizes filesystem journaling where supported.

A key advantage is that many operating systems track file metadata changes, enabling simple history reversion. A major limitation is reliance on existing backups or filesystem logs; extensive overwriting prevents recovery. Always maintain regular backups to mitigate such issues. Remember, accessing deleted entries for recovery is legal only on systems you own.