When dealing with a large number of PDF files and keywords that are not exactly the same, traditional precise find-and-replace is often inefficient. This article explains with actual screenshots how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch replace PDF text: first import multiple PDF files, then in the processing options select formula-based fuzzy text search, use April|May to match multiple English months, use \d{4} to match four-digit years, and replace them with August and 2026 respectively. Suitable for office workers to batch update PDF reports, contracts, numbers, and date information.
In file archiving, data updates, contract revisions, and report maintenance, batch replacement of PDF keywords is a very typical office need. Often, we do not just modify a single PDF but an entire batch of PDFs; and we do not replace a single identical word, but a class of similar texts. For example, some files contain "April," others "May"; some have the year 2017, others a different four-digit number. If you manually search and replace within each PDF one by one, it wastes time and makes it difficult to ensure consistency across all documents.
This article will focus on "using wildcards to perform batch fuzzy search and replace of keywords across many PDF files," demonstrating how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete such tasks. This software is a batch office document processing tool, and its core value lies in transforming large numbers of repetitive file operations into configurable, batch-executable processes. In this article's example, we process "April 13, 2017" in PDFs to "August 13, 2026," where the month and year are matched via rules, while the day "13" remains unchanged.
Applicable Scenarios: Fuzzy Search is More Suitable for Similar Texts than Fixed Texts
Standard find and replace is good for processing fixed text, such as replacing all instances of an "old company name" with a "new company name." However, in batch PDF processing, it is more common for texts to share similar structures but have different specific contents. In such cases, fuzzy search or wildcard rules are more practical because they can match various changes in one go.
The following scenarios are especially suited for the method described here:
- Batch updating dates in PDFs, uniformly replacing old months and years with new date information.
- Batch processing of numbers in PDF reports, such as project numbers, report numbers, and batch numbers.
- Batch replacing department names, personnel names, and unit names in contracts, notices, and policy documents.
- Batch modifying version numbers, years, months, and release cycles in PDF templates.
- When needing to process multiple PDFs simultaneously while preserving the original layout, without copying them into Word or docx for modification individually.
If your work also involves files like doc, docx, xlsx, pptx, you can adopt the same batch processing approach: first identify the file type, then choose the corresponding tool, and finally set unified rules. The focus here is the PDF format, as it is most common in formal documentation and most likely to trap users in repetitive cycles of opening and manual editing.
Result Preview: Comparing Before and After Makes Rule Effects Easier to Understand
In the example, there are four PDF files before processing, named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf respectively. These files can be understood as a batch of materials awaiting updates, with the goal of applying the same keyword replacement rules to them.
Opening a PDF before processing reveals the cover page date displayed as "April 13, 2017". The red boxes highlight the month and year that need modification. The entire string "April 13, 2017" is not treated as one single replacement target here, as that would include the day; a more flexible approach is to match only the month and year, allowing the "13" in between to remain naturally.
After processing, the date on the PDF page shows as "August 13, 2026". Comparing them, you can see the software accurately replaced the target parts: April became August, and 2017 became 2026. This result demonstrates that using multi-line rules and fuzzy matching allows batch replacement of similar text within PDFs, rather than relying on manual editing everywhere.
Operation Steps: From Tool Selection to Setting Wildcard Rules
Step 1: Open the PDF Tools Category
On the left side of the HeSoft Doc Batch Tool main interface, there are function categories including File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, etc. Since the processing target here is PDF files, first select "PDF Tools". Among the function cards on the right, locate "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF".
After selecting this function, you can enter the dedicated PDF keyword find and replace flow. The description for this feature in the screenshot is "Batch find and replace keywords in the content of PDF files," which perfectly matches the requirements of this article. For those needing to process large amounts of PDF text, entering the correct function entrance first helps avoid repetitive operations in single-file editing tools.
Step 2: Add or Import PDF Files
After entering the function page, the first step is to "Select records to process". The top-right area of the interface provides "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If you only need to process a few specific PDFs, you can use Add Files; if all PDFs are in the same directory, importing from a folder is more convenient.
After importing, the files appear in a table. The example table shows four PDF records, including file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. Here, it is recommended to check primarily two things: first, whether the number of records matches the number of files to be processed; second, whether the paths lead to the correct directories. The characteristic of batch processing is that it affects multiple files at once, so confirming the list beforehand is crucial.
Step 3: Enter Processing Options and Enable Formula Fuzzy Search
After confirming the files are correct, click "Next" at the bottom of the interface to enter "Set Processing Options". In the Find Method area, you will see the options "Exact Text Search" and "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search". For this example, select "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search", because rules are needed to match months and years.
When the target text varies, formula-based fuzzy search is more suitable than exact search. For example, you might not know which years appear in all the PDFs, but you can determine that years are all four-digit numbers; or you might want both April and May to be replaced with August. In such cases, expressing the target using rules is more efficient than listing all possible texts.
Step 4: Fill in Corresponding Replacement Relationships in the Left and Right Lists
In the "Keywords to Find List", enter "April|May" in the first line, and "\d{4}" in the second line. "April|May" means match April or May; "\d{4}" means match a sequence of four consecutive digits. In the "Keywords to Replace With List", enter "August" in the first line and "2026" in the second line.
When filling this in, understand a core principle: each line on the left corresponds one-to-one with each line on the right. Content matched by the 1st line on the left is replaced using the 1st line on the right; content matched by the 2nd line on the left is replaced using the 2nd line on the right. Thus, the final effect achieved in this example is replacing the month with August and the year with 2026. If you need to replace other keywords later, you can add more lines, but avoid mismatching line counts.
The screenshot also shows prompt entries for "Help," "Variables," and a note stating "Leaving blank means delete." Since the goal here is replacement, not deletion, the replacement content on the right must be filled in completely. For important files, it's not recommended to perform delete operations in batch without understanding the implications of the rules.
Step 5: Save to a Designated Location and Check Results
After completing the settings, continue by clicking "Next". The following steps involve setting the save location, then starting the processing. For safety, it is recommended to save the processed PDFs to a new output directory, rather than directly overwriting the original files. That way, if a rule matches a range too broadly, you can modify the rules and reprocess.
After processing is complete, open the output PDF to check the effects. You can first inspect whether the dates in the previously highlighted red box areas changed from "April 13, 2017" to "August 13, 2026", then spot-check other PDFs. For batch tasks, spot-checking involves not just seeing if the text was successfully replaced, but also confirming that the PDF page display is normal, especially whether changes in text length affect the visual layout.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Are broader wildcard rules always better?
No. The broader the rule, the higher the risk of matching irrelevant content. For example, "\d{4}" can match years but might also match certain four-digit numbers. If the PDF also contains report numbers, page number codes, or other four-digit numbers, you need to first assess whether false replacements might occur. If necessary, narrow the rule scope or process in batches.
2. Why is it recommended to test on a few PDFs first?
The advantage of batch processing is speed, but if a rule is written incorrectly, errors are also amplified quickly. Testing on 1 or 2 PDFs first allows you to confirm that the rules, replacement content, and output location are all correct. Processing all files after successful testing reduces the risk of rework.
3. Do the replaced PDFs need manual review?
Review is recommended. Especially for formal contracts, reports, and externally published materials, key pages should be spot-checked after batch processing. PDF text replacement can involve changes to fonts, positions, and lengths; review ensures the results are both correct and meet layout requirements.
4. What are the advantages compared to converting to Word and then replacing?
Converting a PDF to Word or docx before replacing is another approach, but the conversion can cause layout changes. Performing batch find and replace directly in PDFs reduces conversion steps and is more suitable for scenarios where only a few text fields need modification. Of course, if extensive editing of the body structure is required, the appropriate tool should be chosen based on actual needs.
Summary: Processing Similar Keywords Across Multiple PDFs in One Go
This article demonstrated, through a practical example, how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to perform formula-based fuzzy search and batch keyword replacement on multiple PDF files. The operational concept is straightforward: enter PDF Tools, select "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF", import multiple PDFs, choose "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search" in the processing options, fill in the find rules and replacement results, and finally set the save location and start processing.
For content with regular variations, such as dates, years, months, numbers, and names, wildcards and formula-based fuzzy search can significantly reduce repetitive labor. It is recommended to back up files, test rules, and then execute in batch before formal processing. This approach harnesses the efficiency advantage of office software for bulk file processing while minimizing the risks associated with false replacements.