Dates, numbers, years, and other text in many PDF documents have the same format but different specific content. Manually deleting them one by one is inefficient and prone to omissions. This article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to import multiple PDFs into the "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" feature, use formulas to fuzzily find and match April, May, and four-digit years, and leave the replacement content blank to batch delete non-fixed text in PDFs.
In daily office work, PDFs are often used to store reports, policies, contracts, project materials, and externally released documents. The issue is that many PDFs require partial text cleanup before release or archiving, such as dates, years, version numbers, names, serial numbers, or certain sensitive fields. If these contents are entirely consistent, using ordinary find and replace is relatively simple; however, if the dates and years differ in each file, manual processing becomes extremely inefficient.
This article uses "batch deleting months and years from multiple PDFs" as an example to illustrate how to accomplish fuzzy match deletion in PDFs with the help of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . In the example, the PDF cover originally had "April 13, 2017", and we want to delete the English month and the four-digit year, while keeping the date number in the middle. In actual operation, by using "formula-based fuzzy text search," you can match multiple possible months and years, then leave the replaced keyword list empty to achieve batch deletion.
Applicable Scenario: Need to batch clean regular, variable content in PDFs
This type of function is most suitable for processing regular text patterns. For instance, many PDFs contain dates but with different years; they have serial numbers but with varying last digits; they include months, which could be April, May, or other English months; they feature version numbers that change. As long as these texts can be described by rules, you can consider using fuzzy search.
Typical scenarios include: batch deleting publication dates on PDF report covers; cleaning project numbers in external versions; removing fixed-format serial numbers from contract PDFs; deleting year information from archived files; performing local desensitization on PDF materials; and uniformly cleaning certain variable keywords across multiple PDFs. Compared to opening and manually modifying PDFs one by one, a batch processing tool can consolidate repetitive actions into a single task.
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is positioned as office software, with a focus not on fine editing of individual files, but on batch processing large volumes of documents to reduce repetitive labor. For common office files like PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, similar batch operations can save significant time. This section focuses on batch keyword search, replace, and delete in PDFs.
Preview of Results: Four PDFs need uniform cleaning before processing
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see there are 4 PDF files in the current folder, named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. Many real office tasks are similar: the number of files may not be large, or it could be dozens or hundreds, but the processing rules are the same.
Upon opening one of the PDFs, the cover date position shows "April 13, 2017". "April" and "2017" are highlighted with red boxes, indicating they are the target content to be deleted this time. Since "2017" is a four-digit year, and other PDFs might feature different years, using fuzzy matching is more appropriate.
If you process files one by one, you need to open a PDF, find the corresponding text, delete or overwrite it, save, and then move on to the next file. The more files there are, the more apparent the repetitive operations become, and it's easier to miss processing due to fatigue. The goal of using a batch processing tool is to hand over these mechanical actions to the software.
Results After Processing: The month and year in the PDF are deleted
After processing is complete, check the output PDF again, and you'll see that "April" and "2017" at the original date location have been deleted, leaving only the unmatched "13," on the page. The red box shows the blank area after deletion, indicating that the software completed the keyword cleanup according to the rules.
This result demonstrates two points: first, the software can locate specified text within PDF content; second, when the replacement content is left empty, deletion rather than replacement is achieved. This method is very straightforward for batch cleaning dates, years, serial numbers, etc.
Operation Step One: Open the Find and Replace function in PDF tools
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see multiple tool categories on the left. Select "PDF Tools," and the main interface will display a list of PDF-related functions. The one used this time is "1. Find and Replace Keywords in PDF," whose description is batch find and replace keywords in PDF file content.
The reason for choosing this function is: deleting PDF keywords can essentially be seen as a special replacement operation, i.e., "find the target text and replace it with nothing." Therefore, there's no need to look for a separate "delete text" entry; you only need to correctly set the search rules and replacement content within the find and replace function.
Before entering the function, it's recommended to organize the PDF files to be processed by placing them all into the same folder. This allows for folder import later, reducing the time spent selecting files one by one.
Operation Step Two: Import multiple PDFs and verify the processing list
After entering the function interface, the first step is to "Select records to process." The upper-right corner of the interface provides two common entry points: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder." If you're only processing a few specific PDFs, click "Add Files"; if you want to process all PDFs in a folder, choose "Import Files from Folder."
The screenshot shows 4 records have been imported: files named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, 4.pdf, all located in the test folder on the D drive. The list also displays the pdf extension, and lists creation time and modification time. After importing, the summary area at the bottom shows "Record Count: 4," which helps confirm the import quantity is correct.
Two things to note in this step. First, confirm there are no extra files in the list to avoid accidental processing; second, ensure all files needing processing are in the list to avoid omissions. If you find a file that should not be processed, use the delete icon in the operation column to remove it from the list. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Operation Step Three: Use formula-based fuzzy search to match non-fixed text
Entering the second step, "Set processing options," first look at "Search Mode." The interface offers "Exact Text Search" and "Formula-Based Fuzzy Text Search." This example needs to process months and years, where the year is variable content, so select "Formula-Based Fuzzy Text Search."
In the "Keyword List to Search," the example shows two rules entered. The first, "April|May," is used to match April or May, suitable for handling multiple possible English months. The second, "\d{4}", is used to match consecutive four-digit numbers, commonly used to match years like 2017, 2018, 2026, etc.
The logic here is: write all the targets to be deleted in the left search list. Fixed words can be written directly, multiple candidates can be expressed with rules, and numerical years can be represented with formulas. This way, the software will search for corresponding content in each PDF according to these rules.
The right side is the "Replaced Keyword List." Since this example aims to delete text, the right side remains empty. The interface hints "Leave blank to delete," which is the key setting to achieve batch keyword deletion in PDFs. Do not enter spaces, do not enter substitute words, just leave it empty.
Operation Step Four: Save to a new location and execute processing
After setting up the search and delete rules, click "Next." The process bar shows subsequent steps include "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing." Although the screenshot doesn't show the save location page, you can tell from the workflow that you need to specify the output location before formal processing.
It is recommended to save the processed PDFs to a new folder, rather than mixing them directly into the original file directory. This has three benefits: first, it preserves the original PDFs for easy rollback; second, it facilitates comparing before and after effects; third, it avoids misjudgment caused by files with the same name. For important materials, it's best to test the rules with 1 or 2 sample files first, confirm the deletion scope is correct, and then batch process all files.
After entering "Start Processing," the software will process multiple PDFs in the order of the list. Once processing is complete, open the output file to check the page. In the example, the original "April 13, 2017" now only retains "13,", indicating the month and year have been deleted according to the rules.
Frequent Questions and Important Notes
1. Is formula-based fuzzy search a wildcard?
In actual use, many users refer to this type of rule as a wildcard or fuzzy match. The "Formula-Based Fuzzy Text Search" in the screenshot more accurately describes its working method: matching a class of text via formula rules, rather than just matching fixed strings.
2. If I only want to delete one fixed word, do I still need to use a formula?
Not necessarily. If the exact same fixed word is to be deleted across all PDFs, you can choose "Exact Text Search." However, if the same position might feature different months, years, or numbers, using formula-based fuzzy search is more efficient.
3. Why is "13," left after processing?
Because the example rules only matched "April" and four-digit years, and did not match the middle "13,". The software only deletes the matched content and does not automatically delete unmatched characters. If you also need to delete the date number or comma, you need to add corresponding matching items in the search rules.
4. How to avoid accidental deletion before batch processing?
Don't write rules that are too broad. For example, when matching all four-digit numbers, other four-digit numbers elsewhere in the PDF might also be matched. Before formal batch processing, it's recommended to test with sample files first and check the output results.
Summary: Hand over repetitive PDF cleanup work to batch processing software
The key to batch deleting non-fixed text in PDF files is finding the appropriate matching rules. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool 's "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" function strings together file import, rule setting, save output, and start processing into a complete workflow. Users simply write the content to be matched in the search list and leave the replacement list empty to accomplish batch deletion.
If you often need to process dates, years, serial numbers, sensitive fields, and similar content in PDFs, it's recommended to save this article's process as a reference: first organize the PDFs, import the file list, then choose formula-based fuzzy search, fill in the rules, leave the replacement content empty, and finally save to a new directory and check the results. This can significantly reduce repetitive operations, making PDF cleanup work more stable and efficient.