Many office files accumulate version numbers, notes, batch numbers, and temporary descriptions during circulation, eventually resulting in long and messy file names. If these file names all contain the same keyword, you can use batch truncation to uniformly delete all content after the keyword. This article combines the operation interface of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to show how to select the option to delete text in file names, import files to be processed, and set the rule "all content to the right of a certain text." Through the example, you can see that after processing, the file name retains START and the main content on the left, while the redundant characters on the right are batch-cleaned, making it suitable for archiving office documents, organizing project files, and standardizing names before batch delivery.
In enterprise office work, data archiving, project delivery, and file sharing, file names often undergo multiple rounds of modification. A originally concise file name may have version numbers, personnel notes, dates, temporary identifiers, export batch information, etc., continuously appended to it later. Over time, a large number of files with similar structures but messy suffixes will appear in the same folder. For example, Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt, Data_START_sample_END.txt, Doc_START_2024Draft_END.txt, the parts of these files that really need to be retained might only be before START and START itself, and the subsequent content can be deleted.
If relying on manual processing, the common practice is to select the file, press F2, move the cursor, delete the extra characters, retain the extension, and then process the next file. This process becomes tedious after being repeated dozens of times, and when processing hundreds of files, problems such as accidentally deleting extensions, missing characters, and naming inconsistencies are more likely to occur. This article introduces a method more suitable for office scenarios: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to set rules in file name processing, batch delete all content to the right of a specified keyword. This allows file names to be uniformly truncated to a specific keyword, making batch renaming faster and more controllable.
Applicable Scenarios: When you need to uniformly truncate file names to a certain keyword
The so-called "truncate to a specified keyword" means taking a specific piece of fixed text in the file name as a dividing point, retaining the content to its left and the keyword itself, and deleting all text to its right. This method is especially suitable for situations where the content on the right is not fixed, because you don't need to know in advance exactly what is after each file, as long as they are all located after the same keyword, they can be processed uniformly.
- Cleaning up version information: such as Plan_START_v1.docx, Plan_START_v2.docx, to be unified into Plan_START.docx.
- Deleting internal notes: such as Contract_START_LegalOpinion_Temp.pdf, hoping to keep only Contract_START.pdf when delivering.
- Organizing exported files: such as Sheet_START_batch001.xlsx, Sheet_START_batch002.xlsx, needing to remove batch descriptions.
- Cleaning up log and text files: such as Log_START_debugInfo.txt, wanting to delete debug descriptions.
- Standardizing names of images, audio/video, compressed packages, etc.: As long as the file name has a unified positioning text, they can also be organized using the same logic.
This rule-based processing reflects the value of office software in batch file management: users do not need to perform repetitive mechanical operations; they only need to tell the software the naming pattern, and the software can execute consistent processing rules for the entire batch of files. For positions such as administration, HR, finance, operations, project management, and document clerks, this type of batch processing can significantly save time spent organizing folders.
Effect Before Processing: Different redundant content still exists after START in the file names
The screenshot before processing below shows a batch of txt files waiting to be organized. Their commonality is that all file names contain START; the difference is that after START, there are different contents, such as oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, alpha, rawName, debugInfo, private, tempData, batch001, removeThis, etc. These suffix contents are inconsistent, making ordinary find and replace inconvenient.
If processing these files manually, you need to delete the text after START in each file separately, ensuring not to delete START or damage the .txt extension. As the length of the text on the right varies for each file, it is easy to delete too much or too little when manually selecting the deletion range. Batch truncation rules can avoid this problem: just tell the software "truncate at START, delete all content to the right," and the software will process each file name according to the same logic.
Effect After Processing: Retain the keyword, uniformly delete the text on the right side of the name
After processing, the file names originally carrying different suffixes are uniformly cleaned up. Archive_START_oldPart_END.txt becomes Archive_START.txt, Image_START_rawName_END.txt becomes Image_START.txt, Task_START_removeThis_END.txt becomes Task_START.txt. It can be seen that the file names are shorter, neater, and still retain the .txt file extension.
Such results are suitable for archiving, sending, uploading to systems, or serving as final delivery file names. It retains the main body of the file name, such as Archive, Data, Doc, File, and also the unified marker START, while deleting subsequent descriptions that are no longer needed. For Word documents doc, docx, PDF files pdf, Excel tables xls, xlsx, PowerPoint files ppt, pptx, and text txt files, this batch file name modification logic is very practical.
Operation Step 1: Find the file name processing entry in the office software
After starting HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first enter the "File Name" module on the left. This module centrally houses functions related to batch file name processing, such as replacing keywords, inserting text, adding prefixes/suffixes, converting case, etc. As this article aims to delete a section of content from the file name, you should choose "Delete Text in File Name."
As seen from the screenshot, "Delete Text in File Name" is in the file name function list. Choosing it is to let the software enter the dedicated deletion rule configuration process, rather than performing document content editing or file deletion. Many users might worry when seeing the word "Delete" whether it will delete the file itself; a distinction needs to be made here: this function processes the text in the file name, neither deleting the file nor clearing the document content.
After entering the function, the software adopts a step-by-step wizard format, which is sequentially: select records to process, set processing options, set save location, and start processing. Such a process is suitable for batch office tasks, as each step can be confirmed before proceeding, reducing the risk of batch operations.
Operation Step 2: Import the files that need batch file name truncation
In the first step "Select records to process," you need to add the files to be processed into the list. The top of the interface provides "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder" buttons. If the files are scattered in different locations, you can use Add Files; if the files are concentrated in one folder, using Import Files from Folder will be more convenient. After importing, the files will appear in the table list.
The list in the screenshot already contains 10 records, displaying information such as name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. This is not just about simply placing files into the software; more importantly, it's about performing pre-processing validation. You need to confirm that these files are indeed the objects to be batch renamed this time, and that their names all contain the keyword START to be used.
If a file does not meet the rule, for example, if its file name lacks START, or although it contains START, its right-side content should not be deleted, then it should not be placed in this processing list. The advantage of batch processing lies in its speed, but the premise is that all files in the list are applicable to the same rule. After confirming the files are correct, click the "Next" button at the bottom to enter the rule settings.
Operation Step 3: Select to delete content to the right of the keyword, and enter the positioning text
On the "Set Processing Options" page, the software provides multiple deletion methods. What this article wants to achieve is batch truncating file names to a specified keyword, so you need to select "All content to the right of a text." The meaning of this option is: first find the text entered by the user in the file name, then delete the name content to the right of that text.
Enter START in the "Text" input box. This START is the positioning point for this batch processing. In the screenshot, "All content to the right of a text" on the right side is selected, and START is also filled in the text box. According to the post-processing effect, the software will delete content like oldPart_END, sample_END, 2024Draft_END after START, and retain START itself.
There is also an "Include the text" switch on the page. In the screenshot, this switch is off, so the example result retains START. If your business requirement is to delete START and all content after START, you need to make a judgment in conjunction with this switch and test it with a small number of files first. For most "truncate to keyword" scenarios, the keyword is usually retained, as the keyword itself often represents a stage, category, or separation marker.
When setting this step, it is recommended not to enter overly broad keywords arbitrarily. For example, entering just A or _ might match a position too early in the file name, leading to an excessively large deletion range. A safer approach is to choose text that is unique and stable in the target files, such as START, _FINAL, _Archive, -OK-, etc.
Operation Step 4: Continue to the next step, confirm the save location, and execute processing
After the deletion rule is set, click "Next". According to the interface flow, the subsequent steps require setting the save location, then proceeding to the start processing step. As the wizard steps "Set save location" and "Start processing" are already visible in the screenshot, simply continue following the software interface prompts during actual operation.
For batch renaming of office files, it is recommended to do two things before formal execution. First, prepare a backup. You can copy the original folder and run the rules on the copy first, and process the formal files only after confirming the results are completely correct. Second, check samples. After processing, at least check a few files with different types of names, such as Archive_START, Doc_START, Sheet_START, Task_START, to confirm they all deleted the content to the right of START as expected.
If you are processing important files like docx, pdf, xlsx, pay special attention to whether the extension is retained. The example shows the .txt extension both before and after processing, indicating the result is still a recognizable text file. The goal of batch file name processing is to standardize the name, not to change the file type, so do not manually delete the extension along with it.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. There is also END after START, why not just delete END directly?
Because the content between START and END is different for each file. If only END is deleted, oldPart, sample, 2024Draft, etc., will still be retained; if these variable contents are deleted separately, many rules need to be set. Choosing "All content to the right of a text" can delete all the name text after START at once, which is more suitable for file names with non-fixed suffixes.
2. If there are multiple STARTs in the file name, which part's right-side content will be deleted?
This type of situation requires extreme caution. The screenshot only shows cases where there is one START per file name. If multiple identical keywords might appear in your file names, you should first test with a small number of samples to confirm the software's matching position is as expected before proceeding with large-scale processing.
3. Does the case of the keyword matter?
The example input is uppercase START, and the file names are also in uppercase START. To reduce uncertainty, it is recommended to input text exactly matching the file name. If START, Start, and start coexist in the same batch of files, it's better to unify the naming rules first or process them in batches.
4. Is it easier to make mistakes when there are many files?
The more files there are, the more important it is to organize the input list and test rules first. Batch processing itself can greatly improve efficiency, but it applies the same rule to all records. As long as the file scope and keyword settings are confirmed correctly in the early stage, batch processing is actually more stable than manual renaming file by file.
5. What is the difference between this method and ordinary find and replace?
Ordinary find and replace is suitable for deleting fixed text, such as replacing _END with empty; this method here is suitable for deleting "all variable content after a certain position." When the content on the right side of the file name is inconsistent, batch truncating to a keyword is more efficient.
Summary: Leave repetitive renaming to batch processing tools
Batch deleting all content to the right of specified text in file names is a very practical office file organizing skill. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , users only need to select "Delete Text in File Name," import files, select "All content to the right of a text" in the processing options, and enter positioning text like START, to uniformly truncate a batch of file names to a specified position.
This method is suitable for cleaning up redundant suffixes in file names like txt, doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlsx, pptx, and is especially suitable for situations where version numbers, notes, batch numbers, and temporary descriptions are not fixed. Compared to manually renaming files one by one, the batch processing method of office software saves more time, is more consistent, and is more suitable for enterprise data archiving and daily file management. It is recommended that you first test the rules with a small number of files, confirm that the processing results meet expectations, and then execute batch processing on the formal folder, thereby safely and efficiently completing file name standardization and organization.