When a large number of filenames contain fixed markers with unnecessary content such as version numbers, notes, or temporary IDs to the right of the marker, renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions. This article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool in office software to batch delete all content to the right of a specific text in filenames using the "Delete text in file names" feature. For example, Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt can be uniformly processed into Archive_START.txt, making it suitable for organizing filenames of various types such as txt, doc, docx, pdf, xlsx, and more.
In daily office work, file names often become very long due to export systems, multi-person collaboration, temporary backups, or version management. For example, a file might originally only need to retain a project name and key tag, but later, suffixes like oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, debugInfo, batch001, etc., are appended. If there are only one or two such files, manual renaming is acceptable; however, if there are dozens or hundreds in a folder, deleting the content to the right of a certain text in each file name one by one would be highly inefficient, and could easily lead to accidentally deleting the file extension along with it.
The problem this article aims to solve is: batch deleting all content to the right of a specific text within file names, while retaining the file extensions. That is, when file names all contain the same anchor text, for example, START, we want to keep START and the content to the left of START, and delete all extra characters to the right of START, ultimately processing Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt into Archive_START.txt, and Doc_START_2024Draft_END.txt into Doc_START.txt. The following, combined with screenshots, will explain how to complete this operation in the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool .
Applicable Scenarios: Which File Names Are Suitable for Deleting Content to the Right of a Specified Text
This batch renaming requirement is very common, especially suitable for processing file names with fixed delimiters, fixed marks, or fixed fields. For example, file names uniformly contain text like START, END, version numbers, dates, project codes, department codes, etc., and you only want to keep the text to the left of a certain point and the text itself, discarding all content to the right.
Common scenarios include: report files exported from business systems, where the latter half of the file name carries a serial number; attachments downloaded from chat tools, where a timestamp is automatically added to the end of the file name; images or PDFs obtained from batch scanning, where the file name contains random characters generated by the device; and materials like Word documents, docx, doc files, Excel spreadsheets, xlsx files, PPTs, PDFs, txt text files, etc., that require a unified naming rule before archiving.
If your file name structure is similar to "Prefix_START_Content_to_Delete_END.txt", then the method introduced in this article is very suitable. Its key is not replacing a fixed word, but using a specific text as a boundary to delete all content to the right of that text in one go, thus achieving a more thorough file name cleanup.
Effect Preview: File Names Before Processing Containing Redundant Suffix Content
Before processing, the file names in the screenshot all contain START, but to the right of START, there is different content, such as oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, alpha, rawName, debugInfo, private, tempData, batch001, removeThis, etc. This content varies in length and characters. If using a normal find-and-replace, each type of content would need to be processed individually, which is not very efficient.
From the pre-processing effect, it can be seen that although the file names follow a pattern, the parts that need to be deleted are not exactly the same fixed text, but rather "all content to the right of START". This is precisely the situation suitable for the "All content to the right of a text" option in the "Delete text from file name" function.
Effect Preview: Uniformly Retained Specified Text and Extension After Processing
After processing, all file names are only retained up to START, and the .txt extension is still preserved. For example, Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt becomes Archive_START.txt, Data_START_sample_END.txt becomes Data_START.txt, and Sheet_START_batch001_END.txt becomes Sheet_START.txt.
This result indicates that the batch processing logic uses START as the anchor text, deletes the file name content to its right, and simultaneously does not destroy the file extension. For office scenarios requiring batch standardization of file naming, cleaning up redundant fields, or deleting remark information, this processing method can significantly reduce repetitive labor.
Operation Step 1: Enter the File Name Tool and Select Delete Text from File Name
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see multiple office processing categories on the left side, such as File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, etc. Since the goal of this processing is to modify file names, first enter the left-side "File Name" category.
In the file name function list, find "Delete text from file name". In the screenshot, this function is located at the 10th item, with the description "Batch delete text from file names". The purpose of selecting this function is to enter a processing flow specifically designed for batch deletion of specified parts of file names. It does not delete the file itself, but modifies the text content within the file name.
Once this step is completed, the software will enter the corresponding batch processing wizard. For those who frequently organize files, the value of this type of office software lies in turning the renaming actions that originally required manual repetition into a configurable, batch-executable process.
Operation Step 2: Add Files to Be Processed and Confirm the List
After entering the function page, the top of the interface shows the current function as "Delete text from file name". The page flow is divided into several steps: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. The first thing to do is import the files that need to be batch renamed.
In the screenshot, you can see two entry points on the upper right: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If there are relatively few files to process, you can use "Add Files"; if the files are centrally located in a specific folder, using "Import Files from Folder" would be more suitable. After importing, the files will be displayed in the list, including information like sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time.
In this list, it is important to check the "Name" and "Path" columns to confirm that the imported files are indeed the ones to process. In the screenshot example, a total of 10 records were imported, all with the txt extension, located in D:\test. There is also a delete operation on the right side of the list, which can remove individual files that don't need processing from the task. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing rule settings.
Operation Step 3: Set the Deletion Rule to All Content to the Right of a Text
After entering "Set processing options", the interface provides various operation types, such as delete all numbers, all whitespace, the rightmost number of texts, all content between two texts, all Chinese characters, all content, all content to the left of a text, position range, all English letters, and the one needed for this task: "All content to the right of a text".
The goal of this example is to delete all content to the right of START, so "All content to the right of a text" needs to be selected. Then, enter the anchor text START in the "Text" input box below. This way, the software will know: upon encountering START in a file name, keep START and the content to its left, and delete the part of the name to the right of START.
Here, it is particularly important to ensure the input text matches the marker in the file name exactly. The screenshot uses uppercase START; if the file name uses start, Start, or other case variations, it needs to be filled in according to the actual file name. After completing the settings, click "Next". Then follow the interface prompts to set the save location, and finally start the processing in the last step. After processing is complete, you can obtain the unified file name effect shown earlier.
Why Choose This Rule Instead of Normal Find-and-Replace
Many users first think of find-and-replace when processing file names. Find-and-replace is suitable for deleting identical text, such as removing _END from all file names. But in this example, the content to the right of START is not identical; it might be oldPart, 2024Draft, or debugInfo. Setting up replacement rules one by one would still be quite tedious.
The advantage of "All content to the right of a text" is that it doesn't care what the specific content on the right is; as long as START is found, it will delete everything to the right. Therefore, whether the right side contains numbers, English letters, underscores, dates, version numbers, or remarks, as long as they conform to the same anchor rule, they can be processed in one go. This is also a very practical logic for batch file name cleanup.
Common Problems and Precautions
1. Will the file content be deleted?No. This function processes the text in the file name, not deleting the file itself, nor modifying the internal content of txt, docx, pdf, or other files. It is still recommended to back up important files before operation, especially when processing a large number in batch.
2. Will START be deleted along with it?Judging from the example effect, after processing, Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt becomes Archive_START.txt, indicating that START is retained, and the content to its right is deleted. If your goal is not to retain the anchor text, you would need to set it otherwise based on the actual function options; the example in this article retains the anchor text.
3. Will the extension be lost?In the example, the .txt extension was retained. Preserving the extension during batch renaming is very important because the extension determines whether the file can be correctly recognized by the system and software. After processing, it is recommended to spot-check a few files to confirm the extensions are still correct.
4. What if some file names do not contain START?For files without a matching anchor text, it is usually impossible to delete the right-side content according to this rule. After importing files, you should first check the list to see if the names conform to the rule, to avoid placing irrelevant files into the same task.
5. Can Word, Excel, and PDF files be processed?This function targets file names, so it is not only applicable to txt, but also to common office file name organization, such as doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, etc. As long as text that can be used for anchoring exists in the file names, you can set it up using a similar approach.
Summary: Use Batch Processing to Reduce Repetitive Renaming Work
Batch deleting all content to the right of a specific text in file names is essentially about establishing a unified naming rule across a large number of files. Compared to manual modification one by one, using office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can connect the steps of adding files, setting rules, and executing processing, thereby reducing repetitive labor and lowering the risk of accidental deletion or missed modifications.
If your file names all contain fixed markers, such as START, numbers, project codes, or date separators, and the content to the right of the marker is no longer needed, you can follow the steps in this article: enter the File Name category, select "Delete text from file name", import files, select "All content to the right of a text", enter the anchor text, and then continue to complete saving and start processing. It is recommended to first test the effect with a small number of sample files, confirm the rules are correct, and then batch apply them to the formal folder.