Resources · n8n integration

n8n Rename Keys nodeConfigure Rename Keys in n8n.

Field names rarely match between two systems. The n8n Rename Keys node rewrites the keys of each incoming item so the next node finds the names it expects. Two parameters carry the whole job: a Keys list of before and after pairs, and an Additional Options collection that holds a Regex rule.

Try the Rename Keys node on n8nSee the 2 parameters

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Why automate

What does the n8n Rename Keys node actually do?

Rename Keys takes every item that reaches it and changes the name of the fields you list, leaving the values alone. A key is one side of a key-value pair, so {{ $json.first_name }} becomes {{ $json.firstName }} and the content stays exactly as it arrived. It runs on each incoming item and never starts a workflow on its own, so a trigger always sits in front of it.

The most common reason to reach for it is a naming clash. A spreadsheet exported from Google Sheets carries headers written by a human, with spaces and capitals, while the API waiting at the other end wants short lowercase names. One Rename Keys node in the middle, a pair of entries, and the mapping stops being a problem you rewrite in every downstream expression.

The second case is inbound payloads you do not control. A webhook, which is a URL an external service calls with a JSON body, hands you whatever shape that service uses. Rename it once at the top of the workflow and every branch after it can be written against names you chose. That matters most when a Switch node routes on a field: the routing rules stay readable because the field is called what the business calls it.

The third case is cleanup at scale. When a source prefixes dozens of columns the same way, listing each pair by hand gets tedious. The Regex option in Additional Options matches keys by pattern and rewrites them in one pass, which is the difference between two minutes of configuration and an afternoon of clicking.

Know what the node will not do. It changes names, never values, so anything that needs a computed or defaulted value belongs elsewhere, and Edit Fields (Set) is the node people reach for there. It also does not fetch anything: when the data has to come from an API that has no dedicated node, HTTP Request calls the endpoint first and Rename Keys tidies the result afterwards.

One habit saves debugging time. Regex can hit any key that matches the expression, including a key you renamed earlier in the same node, so a broad pattern combined with a long Keys list produces names nobody planned. Keep the pattern narrow, or split the work across two nodes. If you are still deciding whether n8n fits the way your team works, the n8n review covers that ground.

Parameters

Which parameters does Rename Keys expose?

The Rename Keys node has 2 parameters. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, what the parameter changes, and our field notes.

01

Keys

keys

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This is the list of renames, entered pair by pair. Select Add new key and a new row appears, one per field. Anything you leave out keeps its name.

Key parameters

  • Keys: the collection itself, opened with Add new key, one entry per field to rename.
  • Current Key Name: the name the field carries today, such as currentKey. Dot-notation reaches nested fields, as in level1.level2.currentKey.
  • New Key Name: the name it takes from here on, such as newKey, with the same dot-notation, level1.level2.newKey.
Use cases
an order arrives with cust_email while the mailing step expects email, and one pair fixes every item in the batch.
02

Additional Options

additionalOptions

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Leave this collection closed and Rename Keys does nothing beyond the pairs above. Open it with Add option when naming follows a pattern rather than a fixed list.

Key parameters

  • Regex: added with Add new regular expression, it selects keys by pattern instead of by name.
  • Regular Expression and Replace With: the pattern that identifies the keys, and the new name given to every key it matches.
  • Case Insensitive: off, the pattern respects capitals; on, it ignores them.
  • Max Depth: how deep the replacement goes, -1 for unlimited and 0 for top level only.
Use cases
a CRM export ships every column prefixed, and one expression strips the prefix across all of them without a single manual pair.
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FAQ

Questions people ask about Rename Keys

01Is Rename Keys included in n8n, on Cloud and self-hosted?
Yes. Rename Keys is a core node shipped with n8n, so there is nothing to install and nothing extra to pay for on the n8n side. It behaves the same on n8n Cloud, the hosted offer run by n8n, and on an instance you host yourself with Docker or npm under the Community Edition and its Sustainable Use license. A workflow built in one place runs in the other without changes to this node. The version documented here is version 1 of the node, which is the highest version in the catalog. An older workflow can still display an earlier version with fewer options, and a node never changes version on its own, so check the panel if an option described here is missing.
02What credentials does the Rename Keys node need?
None. There is no credential to create and no Authentication selector on this node, which is why this page has no connection steps at all. Nothing happens in your account settings before you can use it: drop the node into a workflow, list the keys, and run it. The node works entirely on data already flowing through the workflow, so the only requirement is that something upstream produces items. That upstream part is where authentication lives, whether it is a Schedule Trigger, a Webhook, or the trigger of a tool such as Gmail or Slack.
03What are the limits of the n8n Rename Keys node?
It renames keys and nothing else. Values pass through untouched, so a workflow that needs to compute, default, or reformat a value needs a different node for that part. The node also does not create or delete fields: a key you never list keeps its original name, and a name you invent does not appear unless an existing key is renamed to it. The Regex option deserves care, because a regular expression can affect any key that matches it, including keys renamed earlier in the same node. Depth is capped by Max Depth, with -1 for unlimited and 0 to stay at the top level of the item.
04When should you use Rename Keys instead of another node?
Pick it when the shape of the data is right but the labels are wrong. That is the narrow job it does well, and doing it in one visible node beats hiding the mapping inside expressions scattered across the workflow. If the values themselves need to change, Rename Keys is the wrong tool and a node that writes field values fits better. If the fields have to come from an HTTP API with no dedicated node, HTTP Request fetches the data first and Rename Keys normalizes the response afterwards. A good rule: one node, one intent, so anyone opening the workflow later can read what happened to the data.
05n8n or Make for renaming fields in a workflow?
It depends on four things, and price is only one of them. Make, formerly Integromat, is a hosted automation platform with no self-hosting option, billed per operation, so a workflow that renames fields on thousands of items consumes that budget. n8n runs on n8n Cloud or on your own server, which matters when the data passing through cannot leave your infrastructure. Both give you a visual canvas, so the choice rarely comes down to the drawing. Look instead at where the data sits, how predictable your volume is, and which cost model your finance team prefers to sign.
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