faced with a batch of docx documents, if each document has to change the old keywords into new keywords, it will be very inefficient to manually open Word to find and replace. This article from the actual office scene, demonstrate how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool Batch import Word files and set multiple sets of keyword replacement rules in the same task. In the example, Australia is replaced with Canada and USA is replaced with Japan, which is suitable for users who need to uniformly modify contracts, reports, templates, and product information.
Many office workers have encountered similar problems: after a project is completed, the project name changes; A batch of contract templates need to update company information; The name of the department in the training materials needs to be adjusted uniformly. The region, model or brand words in the product manual need to be replaced in batches. A single Word file can be processed with its own search and replace function, but if it is multiple docx files, even if each file has to replace multiple sets of text, manual operation will become repetitive work.
This article introduces a more suitable practice for mass office: using" HeSoft Doc Batch Tool "Perform batch find and replace on multiple Word files. We will combine screenshots to explain the status of the file before processing, the effect after replacement, and the complete steps from entering the function, adding files, setting keywords to starting processing. After reading, you can apply the same method to the batch text update task of Word documents such as docx and doc.
Application scenario: When do you need to replace the text in a Word document in batches
batch find and replace is not simply "faster", it is more suitable for those rules clear, the number of files, manual error-prone document processing tasks. As long as you can list the correspondence between "old text" and "new text", you can consider using batch processing.
For example, the administrative department may need to change the old department name in multiple notification documents to the new department name; The sales team may need to change the old product name in the quotation data to the new model. Legal personnel may need to update the old company address, contact person and date in the contract template. Operators may need to replace the region name or brand name in the activity plan simultaneously. For these tasks, using office software to batch process files can reduce a large number of repeated clicks.
In the example of this article, six Word documents are to be processed, which contain an introduction to fruit varieties. Two of the country names need to be replaced: Australia to Canada and USA to Japan. This requirement of "multiple files, multiple keywords, and replacement by correspondence" is a typical usage scenario for batch search and replacement tools.
Effect preview: changes from pre-processing to post-processing
before processing, there are 6 docx files in the folder, with file names from 1.docx to 6.docx. They are the input files for this batch job. For actual work, these documents may also be contracts, resumes, project plans, product descriptions, training materials, etc. As long as they are Word documents, they can be imported and processed in a way supported by tools.
Open the document before processing, you can see that the page contains pictures and text descriptions. After the "Country of origin" field, the Australia appears in the example on the left and the USA appears in the example on the right. The red arrows in the screenshot mark the locations that need to be replaced. In other words, these words are not part of the file name, but are keywords in the text of the Word.
After processing, the same document is viewed again. The original Australia has become Canada and USA has become Japan. Other text descriptions, pictures, and table borders on the page still exist. For users, the most important thing is to confirm that the replacement position is correct and the replaced content meets expectations.
From this before and after comparison, we can see that the value of batch search and replacement is not just to replace a word, but to apply multiple sets of replacement rules to a batch of Word files at once. As long as the input rules are accurate, there is no need to repeatedly perform find replace on a document-by-document basis.
Operation steps: batch find and replace multiple keywords in docx files
the first step: Find keyword replacement function in Word tool
open" HeSoft Doc Batch Tool "After that, first select" Word Tools "in the left navigation bar". The right ribbon displays multiple Word-related batch operation cards. This time, the first function is to be used: "find and replace keywords in Word file content in batch".
The reason for choosing this function is very clear: what we want to change is the text content in the body of the Word file, not the file name, folder name or picture content. Therefore, it is necessary to enter the functional entrance that deals specifically with Word content keywords. After clicking the card, the software will enter the corresponding wizard processing page.
Step 2: Import the Word file to be processed
after entering the function page, buttons such as "Add File", "Import File from Folder", "Empty" and "More" can be seen at the top. If only a small number of files are processed, you can click "Add File" to select; if all Word documents are placed in the same directory, you can use "Import Files from Folder", which is more suitable for batch import.
In the screenshot, the software has imported six files named 1.docx, 2.docx, 3.docx, 4.docx, 5.docx, and 6.docx. The paths are displayed in the D:\test directory with the extension docx. The table also lists the creation time, modification time, and provides the location of the operation to delete a single record.
This step suggests focusing on three things: first, whether the number of records is consistent with the number of files to be processed; Second, whether the path is correct to avoid importing the wrong folder; Third, whether the extension is the type of Word file to be processed. After confirming that there are no problems with the file list, click "Next" at the bottom ".
Step 3: Set up precise search and fill in the keyword correspondence
after entering "Set Processing Options", you need to select the search method first. The check box in the screenshot is "Find Text Accurately". When you already know exactly what you're looking for, such as Australia, USA, a company name, or a fixed number, it's clearer to use exact lookup.
At the bottom of the page is the core area of this batch replacement. Fill in the old content in the keyword list to find on the left, and fill in the new content in the keyword list after replacement on the right. The settings in the screenshot are as follows:
- row 1 on the left: Australia; Row 1 on the right: Canada.
- 2nd row on the left: USA; 2nd row on the right: Japan.
This means that the software will look for Australia in the imported Word file and replace it with Canada; at the same time, it will look for USA and replace it with Japan. Multiple groups of keywords correspond to rows, and row numbers are very important. If there are 5 rows on the left, the 5 rows should be replaced in the same order on the right.
You can also see additional options such as "ignore the case of letters" and "match complete words instead of parts of words" in the interface. They are suitable for controlling the matching range. For example, when the case of English keywords is not uniform, you can consider ignoring the case. If you are worried that a short word appears in other words and is replaced by mistake, you can consider matching the complete word. Whether to check or not should be determined according to the content of the document.
Step 4: Set the output location and perform batch processing
from the top process bar, you can see that the current task is completed step by step: first select the record to be processed, then set the processing options, then set the save location, and finally start processing. After completing the keyword setting, continue to click "Next" and select the storage location of the processed file according to the interface prompt.
For important documents, it is recommended not to directly overwrite the original file, but to save the processing results to a new output directory. This allows the original version to be retained for later verification. If the replacement rule is found to be inappropriate, you can also readjust the rule and process it again.
After entering the "Start Processing" phase, the software will batch replace according to the previously imported file list and keyword rules. After the processing is completed, open the output document and spot check the keyword position. In the example in this article, the processed effect has been changed from Australia to Canada and USA to Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions and Operational Considerations
1. The keyword lists on the left and right sides must correspond to each other one by one.
When replacing multiple keywords in batches, the most error-prone place is that the line numbers do not correspond. The first row on the left corresponds to the first row on the right, and the second row on the left corresponds to the second row on the right. If one line is omitted in the middle, all subsequent replacement relationships may be misplaced. Therefore, it is recommended to check line by line after completion.
2. Test with a small number of files before processing all files
for documents such as contracts, important reports, customer data, etc., it is not recommended to process all documents for the first time. You can first copy 1 to 2 sample documents for testing, confirm the keyword replacement results, format retention, output location are correct, and then import the full folder for batch processing.
3. Pay attention to English case and complete word matching
if you replace English abbreviations, country names, product models, etc., case and word boundaries will affect the results. For example, whether USA, usa and Usa should be replaced needs to be determined according to actual needs. The additional options in the screenshot provide the relevant control entry, and you should understand the characteristics of the document content before using it.
4. Don't use words that are too short or too general as keywords.
If the search keyword is too short, such as a single letter, common Chinese characters, or common words, it may match many positions that should not be modified. It is recommended to use complete and clear keywords, such as full company name, full field value, full region name, rather than vague fragments.
5. Spot check representative documents after processing
the completion of batch processing does not mean that there is no need for inspection at all. It is recommended to sample at least a few different types of documents to see if the replacement position is correct, especially in tables, headers, footers, headings, and body paragraphs as expected. In this way, the problem of rule setting can be found in time.
Summary: Let Word batch replacement change from repetitive work to one-time setting
the key to batch search for replacement text in multiple docx files is to change "open Word one by one to modify" to "import files first, then set rules, and finally process them in a unified way". By HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can add multiple Word files in one interface, and set multiple sets of keyword replacement relationships in a list mode, which is suitable for the unified update task of processing a large number of documents.
If you are maintaining a batch of contracts, reports, product data or template files, you can follow the steps in this article: enter the Word tool, select the batch search and replace function, import files, set keywords after accurate search and replacement, select the save location and start processing. It is recommended to back up or use sample documents for testing, and then execute them in batches after confirming that they are correct. This can not only improve efficiency, but also reduce the risk of leakage caused by manual modification.