Many folders, when exported, archived, or generated by the system, have fixed-length numbers, letter prefixes, or project codes on the left side of their names, such as ABC20240101, BCD20240110. If you only need to keep the main information like the date and serial number later, renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. This article introduces how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete a specified number of characters from the leftmost side of multiple folder names in office scenarios, suitable for handling repetitive naming issues in large batches of data directories, project folders, photo sorting folders, etc.
In daily office work, we often encounter the problem of inconsistent folder names. For example, a data directory exported from a business system may have folder names prefixed with a three-letter code; a directory copied from a project archive disk may retain a department number on the left side; or folders obtained from a client data package may have an unnecessary prefix at the beginning of their names. Manually renaming a single folder is not complicated. However, if you need to process dozens, hundreds, or even more folders at once, deleting the leftmost characters one by one becomes repetitive, inefficient, and error-prone work.
This article aims to solve this specific problem: batch deleting the leftmost few characters from many folder names. For example, for folder names like ABC20240101, BCD20240110, DEF20240202, you can uniformly delete the leftmost 3 characters, retaining only the date or serial number part, resulting in 20240101, 20240110, 20240202. The following sections, combined with screenshots, will introduce how to use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete this batch rename operation.
Applicable Scenarios: When is it suitable to batch delete the leftmost text of folder names?
Batch deleting the leftmost few characters of folder names is suitable for folders with a relatively fixed naming structure. A fixed structure means that each folder has content of the same length and same pattern on the left side that is no longer needed. For example, in the screenshot, the folder names all have 3 English letters on the left, followed by an 8-digit date or serial number. In this case, simply deleting the leftmost 3 characters yields the desired uniform target name.
Common scenarios include: First, batch organizing project folders. Project materials might be named by "department abbreviation + date," such as ABC20240101, DEF20240202, and you only want to keep the date when archiving. Second, batch cleaning client or order directories. Many business systems prefix folder names with client type, region code, or channel code, and these internal identifiers need to be removed for subsequent delivery. Third, batch standardizing folders for materials like photos, design drafts, and scans. Although this demonstration focuses on folders, similar batch naming logic is often used for organizing office materials like files, Word documents (docx/doc), Excel sheets (xlsx/xls), and PDF files. Fourth, when migrating data to a shared drive or cloud drive, to unify the directory display, you may need to delete fixed prefixes left over from old systems.
If the number of characters to be deleted on the left side of folder names is consistent, for example, deleting 2, 3, or 5 characters, using the "Delete Text from Folder Names" feature will be very efficient. Compared to manual renaming, the advantage of a batch processing tool is that you can import multiple folders at once, set a unified deletion rule, and execute it in batch, reducing repetitive labor.
Effect Preview: Before processing, folder names with left-side prefixes
Before processing, the left side of the folder names contains an unwanted English letter prefix. As seen in the screenshot, the names include ABC20240101, BCD20240110, DEF20240202, GHI20240303, JKL20240404, etc. Their common feature is that they all have 3 English characters at the very left, followed by the date-number part that needs to be retained.
If there are only a few names like these, you can manually delete prefixes like ABC, BCD, DEF. However, as the number of folders increases, manual operation brings two problems: it is time-consuming, and it's easy to delete the wrong number of characters. For example, some folders might be mistakenly deleted by 2 characters, others by 4, leading to inconsistent naming. The core value of batch processing is converting this mechanical, repetitive action into a single rule setup.
Effect Preview: After processing, only the essential main name is retained
After setting the rule to delete the leftmost 3 characters, the processing results are as follows. The 3 English letters originally on the left side of the names are uniformly deleted, retaining only the content like 20240101, 20240110, 20240202, 20240303, 20240404. As can be seen, the processed folder names are neater and more suitable for sorting and searching by date or number.
From the before-and-after comparison, it's clear that the software does not delete the folders themselves or move their contents, but modifies the folder names in batch. For tasks like archiving office materials, standardizing project directories, and cleaning historical data, this batch renaming capability can significantly reduce repetitive work.
Operation Step 1: Enter the folder name tool and select the delete text function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see several office processing categories in the left function bar, including File Name, Folder Name, File Organizer, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, etc. Since this article is about processing folder names, you need to enter the Folder Name category on the left.
In the Folder Name function area, select Delete Text from Folder Names. In the screenshot, this function card is located under the "Folder Name" category, indicating its purpose is to batch delete specified text content from folder names. Note that this deletes "text from the name" of folders, not the folders themselves, and it does not empty the folder contents.
The purpose of selecting this function is to enter the specialized batch processing workflow. For the example in this article, we want to delete the leftmost 3 characters of the names, so later we will choose the "Leftmost Several Characters" processing option and enter a quantity of 3.
Operation Step 2: Add folders 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 Folder Names" and uses a step-by-step process: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. The focus of the first step is to add the folders to be batch renamed into the processing list.
According to the screenshot, there is an Add Folders button in the upper right corner of the page, which can be used to select folders for processing; next to it is a Clear button, suitable for clearing the current list if you select the wrong directory or need to reselect. Once added, the folders are displayed in a table, with columns including serial number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and actions. Users can confirm they have added the correct folders by checking the name and path.
In the example, a total of 10 folders have been added, named ABC20240101, BCD20240110, DEF20240202, GHI20240303, JKL20240404, MNO20240505, PQR20240606, STU20240707, VWX20240808, YZA20240909. The summary at the bottom of the page shows the record count is 10, indicating the current batch processing objects are ready. After confirming correctness, click the Next button at the bottom of the page to enter the processing rules setup.
Operation Step 3: Select "Leftmost Several Characters" and fill in the quantity
The second step is the key to the entire batch deletion rule. On the "Set processing options" page, the interface provides various operation types, such as All digits, All spaces, All Chinese characters, All content, All English letters, Rightmost several characters, Leftmost several characters, All content to the left of specific text, All content to the right of specific text, All content between two specific texts, Position range, etc.
This article aims to delete fixed-length content on the leftmost side of the folder names, so you should select Leftmost Several Characters. In the screenshot, this option is already selected, and the number 3 has been entered in the "Quantity" input box below. This means the software will delete 3 text characters starting from the very left for each folder name in the list.
Taking ABC20240101 as an example, the leftmost 3 characters are ABC, leaving 20240101 after deletion; for DEF20240202, the leftmost 3 characters are DEF, leaving 20240202 after deletion. Since each folder name in the example follows the "3 letters + date-number" structure, uniformly filling in the quantity 3 yields consistent results.
The quantity setting here is very important. If you only fill in 2, ABC20240101 would become C20240101; if you fill in 4, ABC2 would be deleted, also damaging the date-number part. Therefore, before formal processing, you should first observe the naming pattern to confirm the number of characters to be deleted.
Operation Step 4: Continue following the wizard to set the save location and start processing
After completing the deletion rule setup, click the Next button at the bottom of the page. According to the step prompts at the top of the interface, the subsequent steps will be "Set save location" and "Start processing." Since the current function processes folder names, it is recommended to reconfirm that the folder list and deletion quantity are correct before proceeding, to avoid needing rework after the batch rename.
When entering the save location step, complete the relevant settings according to the software interface prompts. Then enter the start processing step to execute the batch rename. After the processing is complete, you can return to the folder's location to view the results. The final result obtained in this article's example is: the 3-letter English prefix on the left side of all folders has been deleted, retaining only the date-number part.
For batch rename operations, it is recommended to first test the rule with a small number of folders. After confirming the output meets expectations, then process the complete directory. This allows you to verify the rule's accuracy without affecting a large amount of data.
FAQ and Precautions
1. Will this function delete the folders?
No. As can be seen from the screenshots and function name, it processes "text from the folder name," meaning it performs a batch rename. It does not delete the folders themselves, nor does it delete the files or content inside the folders.
2. What if the number of left-side characters is inconsistent?
If the prefix length is the same for each folder, for example, all are 3 characters, you can directly choose "Leftmost Several Characters." If the prefix lengths are inconsistent, it's recommended to first analyze the naming pattern to see if another operation type can be used, such as deleting content to the left or right of a specific piece of text. Do not blindly fill in a fixed quantity without a clear pattern.
3. The folder names contain both English and numbers; how is the quantity calculated?
In this article's scenario, a quantity of 3 corresponds to the 3 text characters on the leftmost side of the name, such as ABC, BCD, DEF. Before setting, use the actual name display as the basis to confirm the number of characters to be deleted.
4. Is a backup necessary before batch processing?
It is recommended to back up important data first, or select a small number of sample folders for testing. Although batch renaming can significantly improve efficiency, an incorrectly set rule will also affect multiple folder names simultaneously.
5. Can this method be used for Word, Excel, or PDF files?
This article demonstrates folder name processing. The software interface also shows categories like Word Tools, Excel Tools, PDF Tools, and File Names. For batch processing of file names like docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pdf, you should enter the corresponding file name or related tool category and choose the appropriate function.
Summary: Use batch processing to reduce repetitive renaming work
Batch deleting the leftmost few characters of folder names essentially transforms repetitive manual renaming actions into a unified rule. In the example in this article, the original folder names all had a 3-letter English prefix. By selecting "Delete Text from Folder Names" in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool and setting "Leftmost Several Characters" to 3, you can batch-produce folder names that retain only the date-number part.
For office users who frequently need to organize project materials, client files, order directories, and archived folders, this kind of batch processing function can save a significant amount of time and also reduce naming errors caused by manual operation. It is recommended to confirm the naming pattern and check the processing list before processing, and test the rule with a small number of folders. Once confirmed, execute the full batch processing to complete folder name standardization more safely and efficiently.