This article is aimed at office users who need to batch clean up PDF content, explaining how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to add multiple PDFs to the processing list and choose formulas for fuzzy text search in "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF". By entering April|May and the four-digit year rule, then leaving the replaced keyword list empty, you can batch delete matching text from multiple PDFs, suitable for cleaning up dates, serial numbers, years, and similar content.
Many office workers encounter similar tasks when processing PDFs: a supervisor asks to delete dates from a batch of PDF reports, the legal department requires cleaning up certain numbers in contracts, and archivists need to remove years or identifiers from publicly released documents. For a single file it's manageable, but with many PDFs, each with slightly different text, manual deletion becomes very time-consuming.
This article explains a more efficient method: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch-find text matching rules across multiple PDFs and replace it with nothing, thereby achieving batch deletion. In the example, the PDF cover date is "April 13, 2017", and we want to delete the month "April" and the four-digit year "2017". If "May" or other four-digit years appear in other PDFs, the formula's fuzzy search can also match them in one go.
Use Cases: Batch Deleting Dates, Numbers, Years, and Sensitive Words in PDFs
Batch deletion of PDF keywords is suitable for many real-world office scenarios. For example, removing publication dates before releasing reports externally; deleting old version numbers when archiving historical files; hiding internal project codes before sending materials to clients; and cleaning up certain repeating identifiers after scanning and converting images to text-based PDFs. As long as the text in the PDF is searchable, you can consider using a find-and-replace approach.
Compared to single PDF editing software, HeSoft Doc Batch Tool emphasizes batch operations. Its value lies in treating a group of files as a single task, rather than requiring the user to repeatedly perform actions like open, find, delete, and save. For those who process documents daily, this batch approach can significantly reduce repetitive manual operations.
Although this article uses PDF as the example, the batch processing concept for office work also applies to other file formats, such as docx and doc in Word documents, xlsx and xls in Excel spreadsheets, or pptx and ppt in PowerPoint presentations. Different formats use corresponding tools, but the core goal is the same: reduce repetitive labor and improve processing efficiency.
Effect Preview: Keywords to Delete Exist in the Original PDFs
First, look at the files to be processed. The screenshot shows 4 PDF files, named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. This indicates the task is not single-file editing, but executing the same set of deletion rules on multiple PDFs.
Opening a PDF to view its content, the cover page shows "April 13, 2017". The red annotation boxes highlight "April" and "2017", which are the target texts to delete this time. In actual office work, these targets might be months, years, client codes, employee IDs, or other patterned characters.
It's important to understand the meaning of "fuzzy deletion" here. Fuzzy deletion is not arbitrary deletion, but rule-based deletion. For example, "\d{4}" represents four consecutive digits, suitable for matching years; "April|May" represents matching April or May, suitable for handling multiple possible English months simultaneously. The more accurate the rule, the more reliable the deletion result.
Post-Processing Effect: Matched Text Is Cleared, Unmatched Content Remains
After processing, opening the PDF shows a change in the original date area. "April" and "2017" are no longer displayed, leaving only "13,". This indicates the software only deleted content matched by the rules, leaving unmatched date digits and the comma untouched.
This outcome is very important for office processing. It means users can control the scope of deletion through rules: if you only want to delete the year, match only four-digit years; if you only want to delete the month, match only the month; if you wish to delete the entire date string, you need to set a more complete matching rule. This article's example focuses on demonstrating how to use wildcard concepts to batch-delete keywords, rather than deleting the whole date line at once.
Step 1: Open the PDF Function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool
After opening the software, the top-left corner of the interface shows the product as " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". In the left category list, select "PDF Tools", then find "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" in the function list. In the screenshot, this function is the first item, described as batch finding and replacing keywords in PDF file content.
We chose this function because "deleting keywords" can be achieved by "replacing with nothing". That means first letting the software find the specified text in the PDF, and then setting the replacement content to empty; the processing result is the deletion of that text.
If you are used to searching one by one with a PDF reader, you might feel a batch tool adds a few more steps. But as the number of files increases, the advantage of a batch tool becomes very clear: set the rules once, and the software can process the entire list of PDFs.
Step 2: Add PDF Files or Import from Folder
After entering the function, the first step is to select the records to process. At the top of the interface are two buttons: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". For a small number of files, you can use "Add Files"; for a large number of PDFs in the same folder, using "Import Files from Folder" is more efficient.
The screenshot shows 4 PDFs have been imported, with a list containing information like name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. The file paths are displayed as 1.pdf through 4.pdf in the D:\test directory. The summary area at the bottom shows the record count is 4, indicating the subsequent rules will apply to these 4 files.
Before clicking "Next", it's advisable to check three things: whether the file count is correct, whether the file paths are correct, and whether the extension is pdf. If unnecessary files were mistakenly imported, you can remove them via the delete icon in the operation column. This check is simple but can prevent accidental content deletion during batch processing.
Step 3: Set Formulas for Fuzzy Text Search
After clicking "Next", you enter "Set Processing Options". Under "Search Method", select "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search". This option is suitable for handling content with patterned variations, such as different years, months, or numeric codes.
In the left "List of Keywords to Find", enter the content you want to match. The example screenshot has two lines: the first is "April|May", used to match April or May; the second is "\d{4}", used to match four consecutive digits. With these settings, the software can search for these targets in each PDF.
If your files contain other months, you can expand the rules accordingly; if you only delete a single fixed word, you can just enter that word. The key is to ensure the search rules are consistent with the deletion targets. Avoid writing overly broad rules for convenience, as they might hit content that shouldn't be deleted.
Step 4: Leave the Replacement Content Empty to Achieve Batch Deletion
On the right side, you can see the "List of Keywords After Replacement", with a note nearby saying "Leaving blank means deletion". This is the core of this tutorial: when you want to delete PDF keywords, you don't need to enter a new replacement word; just keep the right side empty.
For example, if you enter "April|May" on the left and leave the right side empty, any "April" or "May" found in the PDF will be deleted; if you enter "\d{4}" on the left and leave the right side empty, any matched four-digit numbers will be deleted. After processing, the original text location might appear as a blank area, depending on the PDF page layout and text objects.
After completing the settings, click "Next" to proceed with the save location settings. It is recommended to output to a separate folder to avoid confusion with the original files. Finally, enter "Start Processing", and the software will execute the batch find and delete on the PDFs in the list.
Common Questions and Notes
1. What is the difference between leaving it empty and entering a space on the right side?
Leaving it empty means deleting the matched text; entering a space might replace the target text with a space character. To achieve a true deletion effect, it is recommended to follow the interface prompt and leave it blank.
2. Will matching four-digit numbers delete other numbers besides years?
It's possible. If the PDF also contains four-digit numbers like report numbers, page numbers, or codes, they might also be matched. Therefore, when using rules like "\d{4}", you should test with a sample PDF first to confirm it won't cause accidental deletions.
3. Why don't some PDFs show a change after processing?
Possible reasons include: the PDF text is not searchable text, the rule did not match the actual content, there is a difference in case, or the content is an image. The screenshot interface has an "Ignore Letter Case" option; if case differences in English are involved, you can check this as needed.
4. Can folders be processed in batch?
You can see the "Import Files from Folder" button on the interface. Placing the same batch of PDFs into a folder and importing them is the more recommended way for batch processing a large number of files.
5. How to confirm the processing results are reliable?
After processing is complete, don't just check whether the file was generated; also open a few typical PDFs to inspect the key locations. Especially when using fuzzy rules, you should check for missed deletions or incorrect deletions. After confirming the rules are stable, they can be used for larger batches of files.
Summary: Using a Rule-Based Method to Improve PDF Batch Cleaning Efficiency
The core idea of batch deleting PDF keywords is quite simple: add multiple PDFs to the processing list, set the keywords or formula rules to find, and then leave the replacement content blank. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool turns this process into a step-by-step workflow, where users follow the sequence of "Select Files, Set Processing Options, Set Save Location, Start Processing".
For users who need to repeatedly clean PDF dates, years, numbers, and sensitive fields, this method is more efficient than manual editing one by one and also makes it easier to form a standard process. It is recommended to start by testing rules on a small number of samples, and after confirming the before-and-after effects meet expectations, import the complete folder in batch to execute the task. This saves time and makes the batch PDF keyword deletion process safer and more controllable.