If the same dates, years, or keywords exist across multiple PDF files and need to be uniformly modified, manually editing them one by one is both slow and prone to omissions. This article uses an example of replacing "April" and "2017" in PDFs with "August" and "2026" respectively, to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to perform batch find and replace in PDFs. Users can learn about the before-and-after effects, specific steps, and key considerations regarding matching rules and file backup during batch replacement.
Many office workers encounter situations like this: a batch of PDF reports has already been generated and distributed when it is discovered that the dates need updating, or the year, department name, project name, or number across multiple PDF templates needs to be uniformly adjusted. If there is only one file, opening the PDF and manually modifying it is acceptable; but with dozens or even hundreds of PDFs, needing to find the same keywords and then manually replace them in each file, the workload quickly multiplies.
This article focuses on the requirement of "unified content modification across multiple PDF files" and demonstrates how to batch replace dates, years, and keywords in PDFs. In the example, we will replace "April" with "August" and "2017" with "2026" in multiple PDFs. The operation uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , which is a batch file processing software designed for office scenarios. Its core value lies in executing repetitive file processing actions centrally, thereby reducing manual, file-by-file operations.
Applicable Scenarios: What problems can batch replacement of PDF dates and keywords solve
PDFs are typically considered a relatively stable publishing format, leading many to believe that content modification in PDFs can only be done one by one. In fact, for text-based PDFs, if the content to be replaced is clear textual content, it can be accomplished through batch find and replace. Common scenarios include: uniformly modifying report dates, batch updating years in contracts, replacing company names in PDF materials, adjusting project numbers in project documents, modifying contact information in notification files, or replacing old version numbers with new ones.
Such requirements share a common characteristic: the replacement rules are fixed. For example, all instances of "2017" in the PDFs need to be changed to "2026", or all "April" needs to be changed to "August". As long as the rules are clear, time should not be wasted on repeatedly opening, finding, editing, and saving; instead, batch processing tools should be used.
From the screenshot example, the user needs to process not a single PDF but multiple PDF files within a folder. The significance of batch processing lies precisely in setting up once and executing on multiple files, avoiding the manual repetition of entering the same find and replace content in each PDF.
Result Preview: PDF files before processing contain old dates
Before processing, there are 4 PDF files in the folder, named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. They all need content updates following the same rule.
After opening one of the PDFs, you can see the date displayed on the page is "April 13, 2017". The screenshot marks "April" and "2017" with red boxes; these are the two keywords to be batch found and replaced this time.
The processing goal here is very clear: keep the middle "13," unchanged and modify only the month and year. That is, the entire date line is not replaced as a single block, but rather two text fragments within it are replaced separately. This method is more flexible and suitable for situations where only partial text within a PDF needs updating.
Result Preview: Dates after processing have been replaced according to the rules
After the batch processing is complete, opening the output PDF shows that the original "April 13, 2017" has become "August 13, 2026". "April" has been replaced with "August", "2017" has been replaced with "2026", while "13," remains unchanged.
This result indicates that batch replacement does not simply and crudely rewrite the entire PDF page but performs find and replace based on the keywords set by the user. For PDF files requiring uniform modification of dates, years, names, and similar content, this method can significantly improve efficiency.
Operational Step One: Enter the PDF tool and select the corresponding function
First, open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . The software's left side is the tool category area, where you can see the "PDF Tools" category. Since the task is to process PDF file content, click "PDF Tools" on the left.
On the PDF Tools page, select the "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" function. In the screenshot, this function card is displayed as "1. Find and Replace Keywords in PDF", with the description below stating "Batch find and replace keywords in PDF file content". This corresponds exactly to the current requirement.
The purpose of selecting this function is to enter the dedicated PDF keyword replacement process. Office software typically offers many PDF-related tools, such as PDF encryption, PDF watermarking, PDF to Word, PDF to Image, etc. If the goal is to modify text keywords in multiple PDFs, the find and replace function should be chosen, not the conversion or watermarking functions.
Operational Step Two: Import the PDF files needing unified modification
After entering the "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" function, the top of the page provides two main entry points: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If PDFs are scattered in different locations, you can use "Add Files" to select them; if PDFs are stored centrally in one folder, it is recommended to use "Import Files from Folder".
In the screenshot, 4 PDF files have already been imported into the task list. The table lists the sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and operation. The file extensions are all pdf, indicating the imported objects are correct. The bottom shows the record count is 4, meaning the current batch task will process 4 records.
This step is very critical because the batch processing will execute the same rules on the files in the list. After importing, check the file names and counts to confirm that all PDFs needing processing are in the list and that no files not needing processing have been erroneously selected. If there are incorrect files in the list, they can be deleted via the operation area on the right; if the overall import is incorrect, you can click "Clear" at the top and re-import.
Once the files are confirmed correct, click the "Next Step" button at the bottom of the page to enter "Set Processing Options".
Operational Step Three: Select precise text search and fill in keyword correspondence
On the "Set Processing Options" page, you can see "Set Keyword Options". In the screenshot, the "Search Mode" selected is "Exact Text Search". For explicit strings like dates, years, English months, and project numbers, exact search is a more intuitive method.
Below the page are two list areas: the left side is the "List of keywords to find", the right side is the "List of keywords to replace with". In this example, "April" and "2017" are entered on the left, and "August" and "2026" are entered correspondingly on the right. The software will execute replacement based on the row number relationship: the first row "April" corresponds to the first row "August", the second row "2017" corresponds to the second row "2026".
It is recommended to follow three principles when filling in. First, write only one keyword per line to avoid writing multiple replacement targets in the same line causing unclear matching. Second, ensure the number of rows on the left and right sides is consistent to prevent any find word from missing a replacement word. Third, review from top to bottom after input, especially for numerical years, codes, and case-sensitive English content.
The screenshot also shows two additional options: "Ignore letter case" and "Match the complete word instead of part of the word". If replacing English months or words, choose carefully based on the file content. For example, if you only want to replace the independent "April" without affecting other longer words containing the same characters, you need to pay attention to the complete word matching. For numbers like years, you usually need to confirm if the replacement scope meets the business requirements.
Operational Step Four: Set the output location and execute batch processing
After setting the keywords, continue by clicking "Next Step". Following the page flow, you will subsequently enter "Set Save Location", and then "Start Processing". The save location determines where the processed PDFs are output.
In practical office work, it is recommended to save the processing results to a new directory rather than overwriting the original files. The reason is simple: if a batch replacement setting is wrong, it will affect multiple files simultaneously. Keeping the original files allows for easy backtracking and comparison of content before and after processing. You can create a new folder, such as "PDF Dates Replaced" or "Keywords Replaced", specifically for storing the output results.
Finally, enter the "Start Processing" step and initiate the task. After processing is complete, it is recommended to open at least one of the output PDFs for checking, confirming "April" has changed to "August" and "2017" has changed to "2026". If the file quantity is large, spot-check different files to ensure the batch rules have taken effect.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Can scanned PDFs be directly replaced? If the PDF page content is a scanned image, the text is not true editable text, and direct find and replace may not work. Batch replacement is more suitable for text-based PDFs. When encountering scanned documents, first confirm whether the text in the PDF can be selected or copied.
2. Will replacing the year affect other locations? If there are multiple instances of "2017" in the PDF, the software will find the corresponding text based on the settings. Before processing, confirm whether all occurrences of "2017" should be changed to "2026". If you only want to replace specific locations, carefully assess the PDF content structure.
3. Can multiple sets of keywords be replaced simultaneously? As seen in the screenshot, the keyword list supports entering multiple items per row. The example simultaneously replaced both "April" and "2017". Users can continue adding more rows as needed, but must ensure the left-right correspondence is correct.
4. Why should a small test run be conducted first? If processing a certain type of PDF for the first time, it is recommended to test the replacement effect with 1 or 2 files first. Once confirmed correct, then proceed with the batch processing on the complete folder. This can reduce the risk of batch mis-replacement.
Summary
The key to unified content modification across multiple PDF files lies in standardizing repetitive rules. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool 's "Find and Replace Keywords in PDF" function, you can import multiple PDFs at once and batch replace dates, years, keywords, and other content. The example in this article replaced "April" with "August" and "2017" with "2026", resulting in the date in the processed PDF being successfully updated to "August 13, 2026".
For users who frequently process PDF reports, contracts, notifications, manuals, and archived documents, batch find and replace can significantly reduce repetitive labor. It is recommended to organize folders and replacement rules before operation, pay attention to keyword correspondence during processing, and conduct spot checks after processing. This approach improves efficiency while ensuring the accuracy of PDF content modifications.