When folder names consistently have a department code, project code, or system prefix at the front, manually deleting them one by one is very inefficient. This article uses the example of deleting the 3 leftmost characters of folder names to introduce how to use the "Delete text in folder names" feature of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch reformat multiple folder names from formats like ABC20240101 to 20240101. The article includes before-and-after effects, specific operating steps, and important notes, making it suitable for office users who need to batch rename folders.
During the transfer of many corporate documents, a fixed prefix is often retained at the beginning of folder names due to system exports, departmental archiving, project handovers, and other reasons. For example, a client data folder generated by a business system might be "ABC20240101," and a directory exported by a project management platform might be "DEF20240202." While these prefixes are useful for internal identification, users often only need to keep the subsequent date, number, or subject name during later organization, sharing, or delivery.
If you only need to change one or two folders, right-click renaming is sufficient; but if you need to process an entire batch of folders, deleting a few characters from the left side one by one would waste a lot of time. Even more troublesome is that manual deletion often leads to problems like omissions, incorrect deletions, and inconsistent formatting. This article will introduce a method more suitable for office scenarios: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch remove a fixed-length prefix from the left side of folder names. In the example, we will delete the leftmost 3 characters of each folder name, changing the name from "letter prefix + date number" to just the date number.
Applicable Scenario: Folder Names with Fixed-Length Prefix on the Left
The method in this article is best suited for processing folder names where the "left-side prefix length is consistent." Length consistency means that the same number of characters needs to be deleted from the beginning of each folder name, such as deleting the leftmost 3 letters, the leftmost 4-digit code, or the leftmost 2 classification markers. As long as the rule is stable, it can be completed in one go using a batch processing tool.
Typical use cases include: batch removing project codes, e.g., keeping only 20240101 from PRJ20240101; batch deleting department abbreviations, e.g., keeping only 20240505 from FIN20240505; batch cleaning up area codes in client data directories, e.g., uniformly removing the first two characters from SH20240606 and BJ20240707; batch organizing historical archive directories, deleting prefixes from old system names. For office personnel who frequently handle Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, and folder directories, mastering such batch renaming methods can significantly reduce repetitive work.
It is important to note that if folder prefix lengths are not fixed—for example, some have 2 characters, some have 3, and some have 5—you cannot simply apply a uniform number. In such cases, you should first sort out the naming rules before deciding whether to use other text deletion methods. The folders in this article's example all conform to the "3 English characters + 8-digit date number" format, so the leftmost 3 characters of text can be uniformly deleted.
Preview of Results: Names Before Processing Contain Prefixes like ABC, BCD, DEF
The image below shows the list of folders before processing. As you can see, each folder name has a prefix of English letters at the beginning, such as ABC, BCD, DEF, GHI, JKL, etc. These prefixes are located on the far left of the name, followed by a date number like 20240101, 20240110, 20240202.
From the perspective of office organization, while these types of names contain complete information, they may not be suitable for subsequent use. If sorting by date or archiving by number is required, the letter prefix on the left can actually hinder searching and sorting. Especially when browsing a large number of directories in File Explorer, users prefer names to be concise, uniform, and directly identifiable.
Preview of Results: Left-Side Prefixes Uniformly Deleted After Processing
After batch processing is complete, the folder names become 20240101, 20240110, 20240202, 20240303, and so on. The 3 English characters on the left have been deleted, leaving the retained main content much neater.
Such a result demonstrates that: as long as the settings are correct, a batch processing tool can uniformly modify multiple folder names according to the same rule. Compared to manual renaming, batch deletion of folder name prefixes is not only faster but also more likely to ensure consistent processing results.
Step One: Enter the "Folder Name" Category in the Software
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first observe the left navigation bar. In the screenshot, you can see the software provides categories like Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, Video Tools, Audio Tools, etc. As this article needs to process folder names, you should click Folder Name on the left.
After entering this category, find Delete Text in Folder Names among the function cards. This is the core function used for this operation, suitable for deleting numbers, whitespace, Chinese characters, English characters, or text from the left, right, or a specified position range within folder names. The red annotation in the screenshot indicates this function's location for quick user identification.
After selecting this function, the software will enter a wizard-like process. For users unfamiliar with batch processing, the advantage of step-by-step operation is that the goal of each step is clear: first select the objects, then set the rules, then proceed to save and process.
Step Two: Add the Folders to be Batch Renamed
After entering the "Delete Text in Folder Names" page, the first step is "Select the records to be processed." At this point, you need to add all the folders to be renamed to the list. In the top right corner of the screenshot, you can see the Add Folders button for importing the folders to be processed; if added incorrectly, you can use Clear to reorganize the list.
After adding, the software displays the records in a table format. The "Name" column in the table shows the current folder name, the "Path" column shows the folder's location, and the "Creation Time" and "Modification Time" help with verification. On the far right, there is an action area for removing unneeded records. The summary area at the bottom of the page shows the record count as 10, indicating that 10 folders have been added.
It is recommended to carefully review the list at this step. Because batch renaming will affect multiple folders simultaneously, once a directory that does not need processing is added to the list, its name will also be modified according to the same rules later. After confirming that the name structures are all consistent and that the left-side prefixes indeed need to be deleted, click Next at the bottom.
Step Three: Set the Deletion Rule to the Leftmost 3 Characters of Text
After entering "Set Processing Options," you need to tell the software exactly which part of the folder name to delete. The screenshot shows multiple Operation Type options, including "All Numbers," "All Whitespace," "Rightmost Few Characters of Text," "Leftmost Few Characters of Text," "All English Letters," "All Content to the Right of a Certain Text," etc. Since this example requires deleting the leftmost 3 characters of the name, you should select Leftmost Few Characters of Text.
After selecting this option, enter 3 in the Count input box below. This means deleting the first 3 characters of text from left to right for each folder name. For example, ABC20240101 deletes ABC to become 20240101; BCD20240110 deletes BCD to become 20240110; GHI20240303 deletes GHI to become 20240303.
When filling in the count, you must judge based on the actual naming pattern. If the left-side prefix of the name is 3 English characters, fill in 3; if it is a 2-digit area code, fill in 2; if it is a 4-digit code, fill in 4. Do not set it casually just because a folder looks similar, otherwise it will affect the processing results for all folders.
Step Four: Continue with Subsequent Steps and View the Processing Results
After the rule is set, click the Next button at the bottom of the page. According to the process prompt at the top, there are subsequent steps: "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing." Follow the interface prompts to complete the settings and then execute the processing. After processing is complete, go back to the original folder location and view the names to see that the left-side prefixes have been deleted.
Before officially processing, it is recommended to review three items: first, whether the folder list is correct; second, whether "Leftmost Few Characters of Text" was selected; third, whether the count is filled in as the target number of characters to delete. As long as these three items are correct, the batch processing results are usually quite stable.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. What is the difference between deleting "Leftmost Few Characters of Text" and deleting "All English Letters"?
Deleting "Leftmost Few Characters of Text" deletes based on position and count, only processing a specified number of characters at the beginning of the name; deleting "All English Letters" may delete all English characters in the name. If your folder name also has English in the middle or end but you only want to remove the prefix at the beginning, you should choose "Leftmost Few Characters of Text."
2. Why did the order of folders change after processing?
After the name modification, the file explorer may re-sort based on the new names. In the example, after deleting the letter prefix, the folders are displayed in date number format, and the sorting logic will be closer to numerical order.
3. What if a folder name has fewer than 3 characters?
For exceptionally short names, it's recommended not to directly mix them into the batch processing list. Before processing, check all records and remove folders that do not conform to the rule to avoid generating abnormalities or unexpected names.
4. Is it possible to batch delete characters from the right side?
The screenshot shows that the operation types include "Rightmost Few Characters of Text." If your need is to delete fixed characters at the end of folder names, you can select the corresponding option. This article focuses on deleting characters from the far left.
5. Is this suitable for processing files rather than folders?
This article demonstrates folder names. For file names, such as docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pptx, pdf, jpg files, if you need to batch delete a file name prefix, you should use the function category related to file names within the software, not the folder name category.
Summary: Batch Remove Folder Prefixes for More Efficient Directory Organization
When multiple folder names all have a fixed-length left-side prefix, using a batch processing tool can be faster and more stable than manual renaming. This article demonstrated the complete process through an example: in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , enter "Folder Name," select "Delete Text in Folder Names," add the folders to be processed, choose "Leftmost Few Characters of Text," set the count to 3, and then continue with the subsequent steps to complete the processing.
For office workers, folder naming conventions directly affect the efficiency of data searching, archiving, and collaboration. When encountering the need to uniformly remove prefixes from a large batch of directories, it is not recommended to manually delete them one by one. Instead, you should first analyze the naming pattern and then use a batch tool to complete it in one go. This reduces repetitive work and lowers the probability of naming errors. It is suggested to verify the rule with a small number of folders before formal processing, and then apply it to the complete data directory after confirming the effect.