When a large number of filenames contain the same marker text, but different temporary numbers, notes, version numbers, or useless characters follow to the right of the marker text, renaming them one by one is both time-consuming and error-prone. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to use the filename processing feature in office software to batch delete all content to the right of a certain text in filenames while keeping the extensions unchanged. The article, combined with before-and-after effects and operation screenshots, explains the complete workflow from selecting the feature, importing files, setting processing rules, to executing the process. It is suitable for office scenarios that require batch organizing filenames of txt, doc, docx, pdf, xlsx, and other files.
In daily office work, file names often become very long due to different naming habits in export systems, download platforms, or among collaborators. For example, a file originally only needed to retain a project name or key tag, but draft notes, temporary numbers, debugging information, batch numbers, etc., were later appended. If you only have a few files, manually right-clicking to rename is acceptable; however, once you have dozens or hundreds of files that need unified processing, deleting the content to the right of a specific text in each file name one by one becomes very inefficient, and it is also easy to miss deletions, delete incorrectly, or damage file extensions.
The problem this article aims to solve is clear: batch delete all content to the right of a specific text in file names. In the example, each txt file name contains START, and there is different text to the right of START, such as oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, alpha, etc. Our goal is to keep START and its left-side content, delete the redundant names to the right of START, while keeping the .txt extension intact. The following will use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete the operation, focusing on demonstrating the value of batch file processing, reducing repetitive work, and improving naming organization efficiency.
Applicable Scenarios: Which File Names Are Suitable for This Kind of Batch Cleanup
"Delete all content to the right of specified text" is suitable for processing files with common naming patterns. As long as the same separator, keyword, or fixed text can be found in a batch of file names, it can be used as an anchor point to batch clean the content to its right.
- System-exported file names: such as Report_START_202406_TEMP.txt, where you need to keep only Report_START.
- Project data archiving: such as Contract_START_v3_Client_Modified.docx, where you need to uniformly truncate to START.
- Organizing logs, images, and text files: such as Log_START_debugInfo.txt, Image_START_rawName.txt, where you need to delete useless descriptions after START.
- Standardizing document names in batches: suitable for different types of files such as txt, doc, docx, pdf, xlsx, pptx, etc. As long as the file name structure is consistent, you can refer to this approach.
- Cleanup before batch file delivery: remove internal notes, temporary numbers, and draft identifiers to make file names cleaner and more consistent.
It should be noted that this type of operation relies on a "specific text" as the judgment basis. The example in this article uses START as the anchor text; the software will find the position in the file name based on this text, and then delete the content to its right. Unlike ordinary find and replace, this is not about replacing a fixed string of text with nothing, but removing the entire varying content to the right of the key text, making it particularly suitable for batch renaming tasks where the suffix content is not fixed.
Effect Preview: Before Processing, the Right Side of File Names Contains a Lot of Different Texts
Let's first look at the file list before processing. You can see that each file name contains START, but the content after START is different, such as Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt, Data_START_sample_END.txt, Doc_START_2024Draft_END.txt, File_START_alpha_END.txt, etc. This content on the right side may be meaningless for final archiving and can even affect sorting and searching.
From the screenshot, it can be seen that START in the file names is the common tag, and the texts to the right of START like oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, alpha, rawName, debugInfo are all objects that need to be deleted in batch. If handled manually, you would need to open the rename state for each file one by one, then select and delete the characters after START. The more repetitions, the higher the probability of errors.
Effect Preview: After Processing, Only the Specified Text and Its Left-Side Content Are Kept
After processing is complete, the file names become more consistent. Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt is processed into Archive_START.txt, Data_START_sample_END.txt is processed into Data_START.txt, and Doc_START_2024Draft_END.txt is processed into Doc_START.txt. You can see that the content to the right of START has been deleted, but START itself is kept, and the file extension .txt also remains.
This result is very suitable for archiving and delivery: the file name retains the main information and key markers at the front and deletes the temporary information at the back. For daily office work, this method of batch file name cleanup can make the database cleaner and reduce interference during subsequent searching, sorting, uploading, and sharing.
Operation Step 1: Enter the File Name Tool and Select Delete Text in File Name
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select the "File Name" category in the left navigation. The interface will display multiple function cards related to batch file name processing, such as finding and replacing keywords in file names, inserting text into file names, adding prefixes and suffixes to file names, and converting file name case. The function needed in this article is "Delete Text in File Name".
The purpose of this step is to enter the correct batch renaming function entry. Because we are not deleting file content or the files themselves, but rather deleting part of the "file name" text, we should select the corresponding function under the File Name category. After entering this function, the software will guide the user through the wizard process to complete file selection, process option settings, saving location settings, and start processing.
When selecting the function, it is recommended to first confirm your needs: if you just want to replace a fixed word with nothing, you can use find-and-replace functions; if you want to delete all the varying content to the right of a specific text, you should choose the function for deleting text in file names and specify "all content to the right of a specific text" in the subsequent options.
Operation Step 2: Add Files or Import Files from a Folder
After entering the "Delete Text in File Name" function, you first come to the "Select records to process" step. At the top of the interface, you can see buttons like "Add Files", "Import Files from Folder", "Clear", "More", etc. For a small number of files, you can click "Add Files" to select them one by one; if the files are all in the same directory, it is more recommended to use "Import Files from Folder", which adds all files to be processed to the list at once.
The screenshot shows that 10 txt files have been imported, and the list displays information such as serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and actions. Through this list, users can check if the files were imported correctly before officially processing. For example, confirm whether all names contain START, whether the paths are the target folder, and whether the extensions meet expectations. If files that do not need processing were imported, you can delete the corresponding records through the action column; if the list is wrong, you can also use "Clear" and then re-import.
This step is very critical. The efficiency of batch processing files is high, but it also means the rules will act on multiple records in the list simultaneously. Therefore, before clicking Next, it is recommended to check three aspects: First, is the number of files correct? Second, do the file names have a common anchor text? Third, are there any files that do not need renaming mixed in? Once confirmed, click "Next" at the bottom of the interface.
Operation Step 3: Set Deletion Rules, Select All Content to the Right of a Specific Text
After entering "Set processing options", you need to specify the specific deletion method. The screenshot shows multiple operation type options, including all numbers, all whitespace, the rightmost few texts, all content between two texts, all Chinese characters, all content, all content to the left of a specific text, position range, all English letters, the leftmost few texts, all content to the right of a specific text, etc. The goal of this article is to delete all content to the right of START, so select "All content to the right of a specific text".
In the "Text" input box below, fill in the anchor text START. That is, the software will find START in each file name and then delete the content to the right of START. In the screenshot, the "Include this text" switch is off. Combined with the post-processing effect, it can be seen that this example will keep START itself and only delete the content to its right. If your goal is to turn something like Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt into Archive_START.txt, just keep this setting.
There are two details to understand here. First, the anchor text must be consistent with the actual characters in the file name. START is case-sensitive and differs from start or Start. If the file name casing is inconsistent, it is recommended to first confirm whether the software's rules meet your actual file situation, or to first organize the file names into a unified format. Second, do not manually handle the extension as part of the object to be deleted. From the example result, the .txt extension is still retained after processing, indicating the software handles the main name body within the file name rules and keeps the file type recognizable. For files like doc, docx, pdf, xlsx, etc., you should also prioritize ensuring that the extensions are not damaged.
Operation Step 4: Set the Saving Location According to the Wizard and Start Processing
After completing the deletion rule settings, click "Next". The interface flow includes subsequent steps like "Set save location" and "Start processing". Since batch renaming will affect file names, it is recommended to set an appropriate saving location or processing method according to the software prompts before officially processing, and confirm that the final result meets expectations.
For important data, it is recommended to first copy a test folder and verify the rules with a small number of files. After confirming that the processed file names become the expected format like Archive_START.txt, Data_START.txt, Doc_START.txt, then execute batch processing on the official folder. This allows you to leverage the efficiency of office software for batch file processing while reducing the risk of mis-operation.
After entering the start processing step, execute the task according to the interface prompts. After processing is complete, go back to the folder to check the results, confirming that the content to the right of START has been deleted, the file extensions are still retained, and the number of files is consistent with before processing. If there are many files, you can randomly spot-check records at the beginning, middle, and end to ensure the rules took effect for different names.
Common Problems and Precautions
1. What happens if a file name does not contain START?
If a file name does not contain the anchor text you entered, it usually cannot locate the deletion position according to the "right of a specific text" rule. To avoid omissions, you should browse the name column after importing files to confirm that all files to be processed contain START or the keyword you intend to use.
2. How to delete the keyword itself along with the content to its right?
There is an "Include this text" switch in the screenshot. In this example, it is kept off, so START is preserved. If your requirement is to delete START together with it, you need to carefully set it in combination with the meaning of this switch and verify the result with test files first. Different business scenarios have different requirements for whether to retain the anchor text, so be sure to confirm before executing.
3. Can Word, PDF, and Excel file names be processed?
The screenshots in this article demonstrate txt files, but the method essentially modifies file names in batches. As long as the file names satisfy the same pattern, office files like doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx can also be processed by referring to this workflow. Note that batch renaming only processes file names and does not modify the document body content.
4. How to avoid difficulty recovering after batch renaming?
It is recommended to back up the original folder before batch file name processing, or process a small sample first. Especially when dealing with client information, contracts, financial tables, and project delivery files, do not perform large-scale operations directly on the only original copy. A backup allows you to quickly roll back if the rule settings are wrong.
5. How should the anchor text be chosen?
The anchor text should be stable, unique, and contained in all target files. START is a very good separator tag in the example. If a text that is too short is chosen, like a single letter, it might match unintended positions; if it is too long, some files might not be matched.
Summary: Using Office Software to Batch Clean File Names is More Efficient and Stable
Batch deleting all content to the right of a specific text in file names is essentially a rule-based file name organization. Compared to manual renaming, using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can delegate repetitive actions to the software: first import files, then specify the anchor text and deletion direction, and finally execute processing following the wizard. For office directories containing a large number of txt, docx, pdf, xlsx, and other files, this method can significantly reduce repetitive work and improve archiving efficiency.
If you also encounter issues like messy file name suffixes, excessive temporary notes, or the need to uniformly delete batch numbers, you can follow the steps in this article to prepare a set of test files, use the "Delete Text in File Name" function to select "All content to the right of a specific text", enter your keyword, and execute. After confirming the effect is correct, apply it to the official folder, and you can quickly obtain tidy, standardized, and easy-to-manage file names.