This article explains how to use wildcards to perform bulk fuzzy find and replace keywords in multiple PDF files, suitable for processing text such as dates, numbers, version numbers, report names, etc., which have similar formats but not entirely identical content. With HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can import multiple PDFs at once, set up formula fuzzy find rules and replacement content, then complete saving and processing through a wizard, reducing the repetitive labor of opening and modifying PDFs one by one.
In daily office work, PDF files are often used for formal documents such as contracts, reports, notices, and data compilations. The problem is that when these PDFs contain a large amount of content that needs to be uniformly modified—for example, changing a date from "April 13, 2017" to "August 13, 2026," or batch-updating certain serial numbers, version numbers, or project names—manually opening PDFs one by one to find and replace is very time-consuming. If the number of files increases from a few to dozens or hundreds, repetitive operations not only reduce efficiency but also easily lead to missed changes.
This article addresses how to "use wildcards for batch fuzzy search and replace keywords across many PDF files." The office software in the screenshots is " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", which is positioned as a document batch-processing tool for office scenarios, with its core value being the consolidation of repetitive file operations into a single process. Below, combining screenshots, we will demonstrate how to import multiple PDFs into the software and use the "formula-based fuzzy text search" method to batch replace content that is not exactly identical but follows a pattern with target text.
Applicable Scenarios: Which PDFs are suitable for batch find and replace using wildcards
Wildcards or formula-based fuzzy search are suitable for processing PDF content with a "fixed text structure but varying local content." For example, in date formats, the month or year might change, but the overall structure is similar; report numbers might have a fixed prefix with varying trailing digits; version numbers, project numbers, and batch numbers in contracts are also common scenarios.
Taking the example in the screenshots, the PDF page originally contains a date like "April 13, 2017". If using only exact match search, it can only match the exact same text; if other PDFs contain "May 13, 2018" or "April 13, 2020," you would need to create multiple rules repeatedly. However, by using formula-based fuzzy search, rules like "April|May" and "\d{4}" can be used as search keywords, allowing the software to identify the month and the four-digit year by pattern and then replace them with the new month and year.
Therefore, the method in this article is particularly suitable for the following office tasks: batch modifying dates in multiple PDFs; batch replacing years in PDF reports; uniformly changing project names or numbers in PDF contracts; batch processing finalized PDF files converted from Word, doc, docx, Excel, PPT; and performing unified version updates on archived PDF materials.
Effect Preview: Multiple PDFs requiring unified modification before processing
From the file list before processing, we can see that the current folder contains multiple PDF files like 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, 4.pdf. This scenario is very common in actual work: a project will have multiple reports, appendices, manuals, or archived files. If modified one by one, users must repeatedly open, find, locate, replace, and save.
Opening one of the PDFs, we can see the date text on the page is "April 13, 2017". The screenshot highlights the key areas to be processed with a red box: the month "April" and the year "2017". They might not be completely consistent across all PDFs, but they have identifiable patterns, making them suitable for fuzzy search using wildcards or formulas.
Effect Preview: PDF keywords have been batch replaced after processing
After processing is complete, opening the PDF again shows that the original "April 13, 2017" has been changed to "August 13, 2026". From the screenshot effect, both the month and the year have been replaced with the target content, while the unchanged part like "13," in the date remains. This indicates that fuzzy search and replace does not simply overwrite the entire text string but matches and replaces according to the set keyword list separately.
The value of this batch processing method is very evident for multiple PDFs: users only need to set the search rules and replacement rules once, allowing the software to automatically process all files in the imported list, greatly reducing repetitive work.
Step 1: Enter the PDF tool and select the Find and Replace function
After opening " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", select "PDF Tools" in the left function bar. The main interface of the software will display multiple PDF batch processing function cards, including PDF Add Watermark, PDF Delete Pages, PDF to Word, PDF to JPG Image, etc. This article uses the first item, "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF".
After clicking "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF", the software enters the corresponding batch processing wizard. The purpose of selecting this function is to have the software perform batch search and replace on the content of PDF files, rather than only processing file names or folder names. Users who need to modify the body content of PDFs must enter this specific function under PDF Tools.
Step 2: Add the PDF files for batch processing
After entering the feature page, the top of the page shows the current task as "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF". The first step of the wizard is "Select records to process". Buttons like "Add File", "Import Files from Folder", "Clear", and "More" can be seen on the upper right.
If you only need to process a few specific files, you can click "Add File"; if a folder contains a large number of PDFs, you can click "Import Files from Folder". The screenshot shows that 4 PDFs have been imported. The list displays information such as serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, etc., and the bottom shows a total record count of 4. After importing, it is recommended to check the file list to confirm there are no omissions and no PDFs that do not need modification are added. If an incorrect file is added, the corresponding record can be removed via the delete icon in the operation column.
The expected result of this step is: all PDFs requiring batch keyword replacement appear in the list, with the file extension being pdf. After confirmation, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing option settings.
Step 3: Select formula-based fuzzy search and fill in find and replace rules
The second step is "Set processing options", which is also the crucial step for batch PDF wildcard find and replace. In the screenshot, the "Search Method" provides two options: "Exact Text Search" and "Formula-based Fuzzy Text Search". Since this article needs to process keywords that are similar in format but may vary in content, "Formula-based Fuzzy Text Search" is selected.
In the "Keyword List to Find", the example screenshot shows two lines of rules filled in: the first line is "April|May", the second line is "\d{4}". Here, "April|May" means it can match April or May; "\d{4}" is used to match four-digit numbers, suitable for identifying years. The "Keyword List to Replace" on the right side is correspondingly filled with "August" and "2026". This indicates that when processing PDFs, the software will replace the matched month with August and the matched four-digit year with 2026.
It is important to note here that the left and right list rows should typically maintain corresponding row numbers. That is, the search rule on line 1 of the left side corresponds to the replacement content on line 1 of the right side, and line 2 on the left corresponds to line 2 on the right. The screenshot precisely shows this setup: the month rule corresponds to the month replacement value, and the year rule corresponds to the year replacement value. Click "Next" after filling in.
Step 4: Set save location and start processing
At the top of the wizard, subsequent steps include "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". After completing the keyword options, continue by clicking "Next" to enter the save location settings. When batch processing PDFs, it is recommended to save the results to a new output location for easy distinction from the original files and for convenient spot-checking after processing.
After entering the "Start Processing" step, follow the software wizard to execute the processing. During the process, the software will search through the imported PDF list one by one for text matching the rules and replace it with the target keywords from the right-side list. After processing is complete, open the output PDF to check the key pages, and you will see that keywords like the date have been updated.
Frequently Asked Questions and Precautions
1. When to use exact search, and when to use formula-based fuzzy search? If the content to be replaced is completely consistent across every PDF, for example, all are "Old Project Name", you can use exact text search. If the content exhibits regular variations, such as years, numbers, months, batch numbers not being exactly the same, it is more suitable to use formula-based fuzzy text search.
2. Can the replacement list be left blank? The screenshot indicates "Leave empty to delete", meaning that if the replacement keyword list is not filled in, it may be used to delete the matched content. In actual operation, if the goal is to replace rather than delete, please be sure to fill in the corresponding replacement text.
3. Why is it necessary to spot-check processing results first? PDF sources vary, and their text structures may also differ. Some PDFs are scanned image versions, while others are text versions exported from Word, docx, Excel, or PowerPoint. For important files, it is recommended to first test the rules with a small number of PDFs, confirm the replacement effect meets expectations, and then batch process all files.
4. Why is the row number of rules important? The left-side search keywords and right-side replace keywords correspond by list row. Misaligned rows could lead to months being replaced by years or numbers being replaced by other content, so careful verification is necessary after filling in.
Summary
Using " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch find and replace keywords in PDFs can transform the work that originally required opening PDFs one by one for individual finding and modification into a single import, single setup, and batch completion process. Especially for modifying content with patterns, such as dates, numbers, years, and version numbers, wildcards or formula-based fuzzy search can significantly improve efficiency.
If you are processing multiple PDF reports, contracts, or archived materials and need to uniformly modify keywords within them, it is recommended to prepare file backups first, then follow the steps in this article to import PDFs, select "Formula-based Fuzzy Text Search", fill in the find and replace lists, and finally complete saving and processing. This can both reduce repetitive labor and lower the risk of manual missed corrections.