Many Word, docx, or doc documents may contain similar but not identical content, such as three-character uppercase abbreviations, numerical codes, hour counts, course codes, etc. If you manually open files one by one to find and delete them, it is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to use regular expressions for batch fuzzy searches of keywords in Word and delete the matched content across multiple documents at once by replacing them with nothing — suitable for batch cleaning of repetitive text in templates, materials, contracts, and reports.
When organizing a large number of Word documents, you often encounter a situation where the content to be deleted is not a completely fixed word but a type of text with a pattern. For example, multiple docx files may contain three-letter uppercase abbreviations, numbers, serial numbers, credit hours, etc. Manually opening each Word file to delete them is very inefficient. This article explains how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to perform batch fuzzy search and replace with regular expressions, replacing matched content with empty, thereby batch deleting keywords in Word, docx, and doc files.
Applicable Scenarios: Which Word Content is Suitable for Batch Deletion with Regex
Regular expressions are suitable for processing Word text where "the content is not entirely identical, but the format follows a pattern." For example:
- Batch deleting three-letter uppercase English abbreviations, such as BOT, ELA, etc.;
- Batch deleting numbers in the document, such as 60, 2, 1, 3, or other serial numbers/values;
- Batch cleaning up patterned markers in course materials, English documents, contract templates, and reports;
- Processing multiple Word files at once, avoiding repetitive opening, finding, deleting, and saving.
In this tutorial example, 6 docx files need processing. The goal is to batch delete keywords in the Word body text that match the rules, rather than manually modifying each document individually.
Effect Preview: Comparison Before and After Processing
Before processing, the folder contained multiple Word documents needing unified cleanup; the example includes files like 1.docx through 6.docx.
Opening one of the Word documents shows that the body text contains content to be deleted, such as "BOT" in the title, "ELA" in the body, and the number "60". This content has a certain pattern, making it suitable for unified matching with regular expressions.
After processing, the previously matched three-letter uppercase abbreviations and numbers have been deleted. For example, "BOT" in the title is cleaned up, the related abbreviations and numbers in the body text are also removed, and the main content of the document is retained.
Operation Steps: Using Regex for Batch Fuzzy Deletion of Word Keywords
The specific operation is explained below following the workflow in the software interface. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a batch processing software for office documents, suitable for batch processing Word file content and reducing repetitive work.
Step 1: Enter the Word Tools and select the Find and Replace function
Open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , and select "Word Tools" on the left. Find and click "Find and Replace Keywords in Word" in the tool list. This function is used for batch finding and replacing keywords in Word file content, and can also achieve batch deletion by "replacing with empty".
The purpose of this step is to enter the functional module specifically for finding and replacing keywords in Word content, preparing for the subsequent addition of multiple docx/doc files.
Step 2: Add Word files that need batch processing
After entering the function page, in the "Select records to process" step, you can click "Add Files" or use "Import files from folder". If you need to process a large number of Word documents under the same folder, using folder import will be more convenient.
After adding, the software will display information such as file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time in the list. The screenshot shows 6 docx files have been imported, indicating these files will all participate in the subsequent batch processing. After confirming the files are correct, click "Next".
Step 3: Select "Use formula to fuzzily find text"
On the "Set processing options" page, find "Search Mode". If you only need to delete fixed words, you can choose exact search; this example requires deleting content based on rules, so choose "Use formula to fuzzily find text". "Formula fuzzy search" here can be understood as using rules similar to regular expressions to match text.
After selecting this mode, the software can batch identify matching content in Word documents based on the entered expression, rather than only matching a specific fixed string.
Step 4: Fill in the regex rules to search for
In the "List of keywords to search for", fill in one matching rule per line. The example fills in two rules:
- [A-Z]{3}: Used to match 3 consecutive uppercase English letters, such as BOT, ELA, etc.;
- \d+: Used to match consecutive numbers, such as 60, 2, 123, etc.
These two rules can cover the English abbreviations and numeric content that need to be deleted in the example document. If your Word document needs to delete other patterned text, you can adjust the expression according to the actual situation.
Step 5: Leave the replacement keyword list empty to achieve batch deletion
In the "Replacement keyword list" area on the right, the interface prompts "Leave blank to delete". Therefore, do not fill in replacement content in this example, letting the software replace the found content with empty. After processing this way, text matching [A-Z]{3} and \d+ will be deleted from the Word documents.
After confirming the rules are correct, click "Next" to enter the subsequent save location settings. Set the save location according to the workflow in the interface, then enter the "Start Processing" step to execute batch processing.
FAQ and Cautions
- It is recommended to back up original files before processing: Batch deletion is a content modification operation; it is recommended to keep a copy of the original Word files first to avoid affecting the original documents if rules are written incorrectly.
- Regex rules should be as precise as possible: For example, \d+ will match all consecutive numbers. If page numbers, serial numbers, or years in the document should not be deleted, use it with caution.
- Pay attention to case matching: The interface has an "Ignore letter case" option. If you only want to delete uppercase abbreviations, usually do not check this option; if you want to match both uppercase and lowercase, enable it as needed.
- Leaving the replacement list empty means deletion: The key point in this example is to fill rules in the search list and leave the replacement keyword list blank, thereby achieving "find and delete".
- Applies to multiple Word files: Whether it's a small number of docx files or a large number of doc/docx documents in a folder, you can reduce repetitive operations through batch import.
Summary: Batch Delete Word Keywords with Regex to Reduce Repetitive Modifications
Using the "Find and Replace Keywords in Word" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can turn the task of opening Word documents one by one and finding/deleting content individually into a single import, one setup, and batch processing operation. For patterned content like three-letter uppercase abbreviations, numeric serial numbers, course codes, etc., using regular expressions for fuzzy search and leaving the replacement content empty allows you to quickly complete batch deletion.
If you often need to organize large numbers of Word, docx, or doc documents, it is recommended to prioritize batch processing methods: first prepare file backups, then set matching rules, and finally execute the processing uniformly. This can significantly reduce repetitive work and improve the efficiency of office document cleaning.