When a folder contains a large number of files such as PDF, docx, xlsx, pptx, csv, txt, zip, etc., manually creating new folders and moving files one by one based on the first letter of the file name or the first Chinese character of a surname is very time-consuming. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to introduce how to use the "Classify Files by File Name" function to group English file names by the first English letter and Chinese file names by the first Chinese character, thereby quickly organizing folders and reducing repetitive work.
In daily office work, we often encounter a typical problem: a directory contains a mix of many different types of files, such as PDF contracts, Word documents (docx), Excel spreadsheets (xlsx), PowerPoint presentations (pptx), CSV data tables, TXT text files, zip archives, etc. When the number of files is small, manual dragging is manageable; however, as the file count increases and names include both English and Chinese, trying to categorize them by the first English letter or the first Chinese character becomes a very repetitive, inefficient, and error-prone task.
This article addresses this problem: using the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", batch categorize numerous files based on the beginning of their filenames. English filenames will have corresponding folders generated based on their first English letter; for example, DanielAnderson.zip goes to folder D, EmilyJohnson.xlsx goes to folder E. Chinese filenames will have corresponding folders generated based on the first Chinese character; for example, 陈静.pdf goes to the "陈" folder, and 李娜.pdf goes to the "李" folder. This keeps the original file types unchanged while making the file structure clearer, facilitating subsequent searching, archiving, and sharing.
Applicable Scenarios: Which Files Are Suitable for Batch Categorization by First Letter or First Chinese Character
"Categorizing by the first English letter or Chinese character in the filename" suits many office scenarios, especially when filenames already contain personnel names, client names, project names, department names, or number prefixes. For instance, the HR department downloads a batch of employee documents with names like SophiaMartin.pdf, 陈静.pdf, 李娜.pdf; after the sales department exports a client list, the folder contains both MichaelBrown.csv and 赵敏.csv, 周婷.csv; when the academic or training department collects assignments, the filenames might be doc, docx, pdf, or zip files starting with student names.
If such materials continue to pile up in one folder, subsequent searching will be troublesome. Using batch categorization, files with the same first letter or Chinese character are placed into corresponding folders, making the directory hierarchy more intuitive. For users who need to regularly organize download directories, archive scanned documents, categorize client data, organize contract attachments, and compile registration materials, this batch processing method can significantly reduce the time spent manually creating folders and dragging files.
Note that this article discusses categorization by the "first English letter or Chinese character of the filename," not by file extension. This means different formats like PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, ZIP, etc., can be processed together. The software generates folders based on the filename's start, not grouping based on extensions like pdf, docx, xlsx, pptx.
Effect Preview: Mixed Files Before Processing, Automatically Categorized by Name Start After Processing
Let's look at the state before processing. In the screenshot, various file types are mixed in the same folder, including SophiaMartin.pdf, 陈静.pdf, 李娜.pdf, 吴昊.pdf, 杨磊.pdf, 张伟.md, MichaelBrown.csv, 赵敏.csv, 周婷.csv, EmilyJohnson.xlsx, JamesSmith.xlsx, OliviaTaylor.xlsx, DavidWilson.pptx, GraceMoore.pptx, SarahDavis.pptx, 刘洋.docx, 王芳.docx, WilliamThomas.txt, DanielAnderson.zip, 黄杰.zip, etc. File extensions are inconsistent, and Chinese and English filenames are mixed together.
If organizing manually, one would need to first observe the first character of each filename, then separately create folders like D, E, G, J, M, O, S, W, 陈, 黄, 李, 刘, 王, 吴, 杨, 张, 赵, 周, and then drag each file into the corresponding directory. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to misplacing files.
After processing, the folder structure becomes very clear. English filenames enter folders like D, E, G, J, M, O, S, W based on their first English letter; Chinese filenames enter folders like "陈", "黄", "李", "刘", "王", "吴", "杨", "张", "赵", "周" based on their first Chinese character. The original files are kept within each category folder, and the file extensions remain unchanged by the categorization operation.
From the effect perspective, this categorization method is highly suitable for name-based files, client files, supplier documents, and documents starting with project abbreviations. After processing completes, users simply need to enter the corresponding first letter or first Chinese character folder to quickly locate the required materials.
Operation Steps: Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to Categorize by Filename
Below, we explain the specific operation flow with screenshots. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a batch processing software designed for office scenarios, providing category entries on the left side for File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. This article uses the filename categorization feature within "File Organization".
Step 1: Enter File Organization, Select "Categorize Files by Filename"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Organization" in the left navigation bar. In the right tool list, you can see multiple function cards related to file organization, with the first card being "Categorize Files by Filename". The purpose of this function is to batch distribute files into different folders based on specified character rules in the filenames.
Click "Categorize Files by Filename" to enter the task page. Here, confirm that Filename Categorization is selected, not "Categorize Files by Extension". If your goal is to categorize by formats like pdf, docx, xlsx, pptx, you should choose extension categorization; but the goal of this article is to categorize by filename starts like SophiaMartin, 陈静, DanielAnderson, 黄杰, so "Categorize Files by Filename" should be selected.
Step 2: Add or Import the Files to be Processed
After entering the function page, the interface top shows the current task is "Categorize Files by Filename", and the process progress includes "Select Records to Process", "Set Processing Options", "Set Save Location", and "Start Processing". In the first step, you need to add the files to be organized to the list.
The screenshot shows "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder" buttons at the top right of the page. If the number of files is small, use "Add Files" to select specific files; if a directory has many files to be organized uniformly, using "Import Files from Folder" is more convenient. After importing, the files will be displayed in a table listing information like sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time for verification.
In the example, the software has imported 20 records, showing files like DanielAnderson.zip, DavidWilson.pptx, EmilyJohnson.xlsx, GraceMoore.pptx, JamesSmith.xlsx, MichaelBrown.csv, OliviaTaylor.xlsx, SarahDavis.pptx, SophiaMartin.pdf, WilliamThomas.txt. Although the current page only shows some records, the summary at the bottom indicates a record count of 20, meaning this batch of files is ready for the next processing step.
Before clicking "Next", it's advisable to briefly check two things: first, whether all files are in the list; second, whether any files not needing categorization have been mixed in. If a single file in the list does not need processing, its record can be removed via the action area in the corresponding row to avoid affecting the final categorization result.
Step 3: Set the Categorization Method to "Categorize by First English Letter or Chinese Character"
Click "Next" to enter "Set Processing Options". This is the key step in this operation. The interface provides multiple categorization methods, including "Categorize by 1st Character", "Categorize by 1st Chinese Char", "Categorize by Last Few Characters", "Categorize by 1st Number", "Categorize by 1st English Letter", "Categorize by 1st English Letter or Chinese Char", "Categorize by Chars at Custom Position", "Categorize by First Few Chars", "Categorize by Custom Regex", etc.
For the requirements of this article, "Categorize by 1st English Letter or Chinese Char" should be selected. Choosing this option makes the software identify the categorization basis based on the filename start: if a filename starts with an English letter, it takes the first English letter as the folder name; if a filename starts with a Chinese character, it takes the first Chinese character as the folder name. This allows processing both English and Chinese filenames simultaneously without separating them into two batches.
Below the screenshot, "Letter Case" options are also shown, including "Default", "Convert to Uppercase", and "Convert to Lowercase". The example selected "Default". If the English letters in your filenames are inconsistently cased, you can choose whether to unify the case based on your actual archiving habits; if you prefer to keep the interface's default processing logic, select "Default".
Step 4: Proceed to Set Save Location and Start Processing
After setting the categorization method, click the "Next" button at the bottom of the page to continue to the subsequent process. According to the process prompts at the top of the interface, subsequent steps include "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". The purpose here is to determine where to save the categorized files and finally execute the batch organization task.
In the save location stage, it is recommended to select a directory specifically for outputting categorization results to distinguish them from the original files. If you want to check the categorization first, avoid directly overwriting the original working directory; instead, output to a new organization directory. After completing the save location setting, enter the "Start Processing" step and execute the task; the software will automatically create the corresponding category folders and place the files into the respective directories.
After processing is complete, you can open the output directory to check the results. The final effect in the example generates folders like D, E, G, J, M, O, S, W, along with 陈, 黄, 李, 刘, 王, 吴, 杨, 张, 赵, 周, etc., indicating that both English and Chinese filenames have been categorized according to their starting characters.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Does this categorization change the file format?
No. Categorizing by filename only moves or organizes files into corresponding folders; the files themselves keep their original extensions. For example, SophiaMartin.pdf remains a PDF, EmilyJohnson.xlsx remains an Excel workbook, DavidWilson.pptx remains a PowerPoint file, and 刘洋.docx remains a Word document.
2. Are Chinese filenames categorized by Pinyin initial or by the first Chinese character?
Judging from the selected function item "Categorize by 1st English Letter or Chinese Char" and the processing results, Chinese filenames are categorized by the first Chinese character to create folders; for instance, 陈静.pdf goes to the "陈" folder, and 黄杰.zip goes to the "黄" folder, rather than going to Pinyin initial folders like C or H.
3. Will English filenames be categorized by the complete word?
This article uses categorization by the first English letter, so SophiaMartin.pdf will be placed in the S folder, DanielAnderson.zip in the D folder, and WilliamThomas.txt in the W folder. It does not create folders based on the full names like SophiaMartin, DanielAnderson, or WilliamThomas.
4. What if the filename starts with a number or special symbol?
If your filenames start with numbers, symbols, or other prefixes, it is recommended to check the file naming rules before processing. The software interface also provides other categorization methods like by the first number, by the first few characters, by characters at a custom position range, by custom regex, etc., but this article's example focuses on "Categorize by 1st English Letter or Chinese Char". If the file naming rules are more complex, choose a more suitable categorization method based on actual needs.
5. What preparations are needed before importing a large number of files?
It is recommended to first gather the files to be processed into a pending-organization folder and ensure no files are in use by other programs. Common files like Word doc, docx; Excel xls, xlsx; PPT ppt, pptx; PDF; CSV; TXT; ZIP can be imported together. After importing, review the record count and file list before proceeding to the next step.
Summary: Replace Manual Dragging with Batch Categorization for More Efficient File Organization
Categorizing by the first letter or Chinese character of a filename is a very common yet time-consuming task in office file organization. Manually processing a few dozen files might be acceptable, but when facing hundreds of PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, ZIP files, judging each one, creating folders, and dragging files is not only inefficient but also error-prone.
With the "Categorize Files by Filename" feature of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can quickly obtain a clearly categorized directory through steps like importing files, selecting "Categorize by 1st English Letter or Chinese Char", setting the save location, and starting the process. For users who frequently organize client data, employee archives, student assignments, project documents, and downloads, this is a highly practical batch office processing method. It is recommended that the next time you organize a mixed folder, you directly use this function to complete automatic categorization, leaving the repetitive labor to the software and dedicating your time to more important work.