To quickly clean up folder names that begin with fixed text, you can crop the left characters in batch. This article focuses on the office task of "deleting the leftmost few characters from folder names in batch" and demonstrates how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to add multiple folders, select the text-deletion function, set the number of leftmost characters, and complete batch renaming. The example shows folders like ABC20240101 being stripped of the first 3 letters to get standard names like 20240101, making it suitable for file archiving and directory cleanup.
In data organization, folder names often don't end up in the desired format. For instance, folders exported from a certain system may automatically have letter codes added to the beginning of their names; project directories collected from different departments might have department abbreviations at the start; folders migrated from old servers could also retain historical naming conventions. As the amount of data grows, these extra leading characters can affect directory readability, sorting, and retrieval.
The operation introduced in this article specifically addresses the problem of "how to delete left-side text from multiple folder names at once." We will use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete fixed characters from the beginning of a set of folder names. In the example, each folder name has 3 English letters on the far left, followed by a date code. With a single setup, names like ABC20240101, BCD20240110, DEF20240202 can be batch trimmed to 20240101, 20240110, 20240202.
Applicable Scenarios: Typical Needs for Batch Trimming Leading Characters from Folder Names
Batch deleting left-side text from folder names is suitable for all naming scenarios where the leading part is redundant and of a fixed length. As long as the part to be deleted from each folder is at the far left and has the same number of characters, the method in this article can be used.
For example, when organizing voucher scan directories, finance personnel might need to delete company codes at the start of folder names; administrative staff tidying employee files might need to remove category prefixes automatically added by an export system; project managers archiving delivery materials might need to remove project phase abbreviations from folder names; operations staff organizing activity assets might need to delete batch numbers or channel codes. Besides folders, similar ideas are often seen in batch file renaming, such as batch processing Word documents docx/doc, Excel spreadsheets xlsx/xls, PDF contracts, image assets, etc., but the operation target in this article is explicitly folder names.
Before deciding to use "the leftmost few texts," it is advisable to first check if all folder names follow a consistent rule. If the leading redundant content has different lengths, such as ABC for some, XY for others, and DEFG for yet others, a simple fixed-quantity deletion cannot be applied. The names in the screenshots for this article all start with 3 letters, making them highly suitable for batch trimming by quantity.
Effect Preview: Name Structure Before Batch Processing
The folder list before processing is as follows. As can be seen, the folder names consist of two parts: 3 English letters on the left and an 8-digit date or number on the right. The red highlighting specifically indicates the leading text that needs to be deleted.
If done manually, you would need to change ABC20240101 to 20240101, BCD20240110 to 20240110, and then continue processing names like DEF, GHI, JKL. Operations like this are not only repetitive but require selecting the folder, entering rename mode, deleting characters, and confirming the name each time. The greater the number, the easier it is to make mistakes from fatigue.
Effect Preview: Name Results After Batch Processing
After processing is complete, the 3 letters at the beginning of the folder names are uniformly deleted, leaving only the date codes in the list. The image below shows the result after processing, with names becoming more concise and standardized.
This result is very helpful for subsequent data management. For example, when searching by date, users can directly see 20240101, 20240202, 20240303; when archiving or copying to a shared directory, there is no longer interference from irrelevant letter prefixes.
Operation Step 1: Open the Tool and Navigate to the Feature for Deleting Text from Folder Names
First, open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . The software interface is categorized on the left by office processing type, among which the "Folder Name" category is used for handling folder naming-related tasks. After clicking this category, several function cards are displayed, including finding and replacing keywords in folder names, inserting text into folder names, adding prefixes and suffixes to folder names, converting folder name case, and deleting text from folder names.
This time, we need to delete the leading text from folder names, so select Delete Text from Folder Names. In the screenshot, this function card is highlighted with a prompt annotation, indicating it is the entry point for batch deleting textual content from folder names.
The purpose of this step is to enter the workflow for deleting text from folder names. Unlike regular manual renaming, the software allows users to first select the records to process and then uniformly set rules, thus achieving batch processing.
Operation Step 2: Add Folders and Verify Records to be Processed
After entering the function page, the top of the interface displays "Delete Text from Folder Names" and shows four steps: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, and Start processing. The first step is to add the folders to be processed. Click the Add Folders button in the upper right corner and select the directories whose names you want to batch modify.
After adding, all folders will appear in the table. The table shows the serial number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and operations. This information allows you to confirm whether the correct folders have been selected. The example has a total of 10 records, with names from ABC20240101 to YZA20240909. The path column displays their locations, and the summary at the bottom shows a record count of 10.
Verifying the list is crucial. Since batch trimming of leading characters will apply to all records in the list, folders that do not conform to the rule should be removed beforehand. If a folder name does not follow the "3 letters + date code" structure, it might not be suitable for processing together with this batch. After confirming there are no errors, click the Next button at the bottom.
Operation Step 3: Set the Number of Leftmost Texts to Delete
Upon entering the second step, "Set processing options," you need to select the specific deletion method. The screenshot shows multiple operation types, among which the one corresponding to this requirement is The leftmost few texts. After selecting this item, enter the number of characters to delete in the "Quantity" input box.
In this example, the 3-letter prefixes like ABC, BCD, DEF need to be deleted, so enter 3 for the quantity. Once set, the software will process each folder name according to this rule: delete 3 text characters from the far left, keeping the remaining content.
You can understand this rule with a few examples: ABC20240101, after deleting the leftmost 3 characters, becomes 20240101; JKL20240404, after deleting JKL, becomes 20240404; PQR20240606, after deleting PQR, becomes 20240606. As long as the name structure is consistent, the processing results will remain uniform.
It is not recommended here to replace "The leftmost few texts" with "All English letters." Although the leading characters in the example are English letters, if some folder names also contain English letters at the back, "All English letters" might delete more content. "The leftmost few texts," on the other hand, only processes based on the starting position and quantity, better meeting the fixed prefix deletion need described in this article.
Operation Step 4: Continue to Save and Start Processing Workflow
After setting the operation type and quantity, click the Next button at the bottom. From the interface workflow, it can be seen that the subsequent steps include "Set save location" and "Start processing." Follow the software page prompts to complete them. Before formal execution, double-check the number of records to be processed, the pattern of folder names, and the deletion quantity to ensure no valid characters are accidentally deleted from the names.
Once processing is complete, go to the folder's location to view the results. Compared to the pre-processing screenshot, the processed folders have had the left-side letters removed, retaining only the date codes. For a large number of directories, this step can replace manual renaming one by one, significantly shortening the organizing time.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. After deleting the 3 leftmost texts, will the contents inside the folders be affected?
The operation in this article targets the folder names themselves, not deleting the folder's contents. Normally, the files inside the folder will not be deleted due to the renaming. However, if other documents or shortcuts refer to the old path, the path may change after renaming, and an assessment should be made based on the actual office environment before use.
2. What if I only want to delete a specific fixed text like ABC, rather than a fixed quantity?
The function page in the screenshot shows various deletion methods. This article uses position-based deletion of "The leftmost few texts." If your need is to delete a specific piece of text, you should choose a more suitable method from the other options provided by the software. Before operating, be clear whether you are deleting by quantity or by specific content.
3. Do spaces at the beginning of a name count as characters?
If there are spaces at the beginning of a folder name, the actual number of characters deleted might differ from what you visually perceive. It's recommended to check if names contain spaces before processing. The screenshot also shows an operation type called "All blanks," indicating that whitespace characters are also content to be mindful of during name cleanup.
4. What are the common reasons for batch rename failures?
Common reasons include the folder being occupied by another program, duplicate names occurring after processing, insufficient permissions for the target directory, and rule settings not matching the name structure. Close programs that are accessing these folders before processing and try to avoid generating identical names.
5. Why is it recommended to test on a small number of folders first?
The efficiency of batch processing comes from affecting multiple records with a single action, but this also means that rule errors are amplified in batches. Testing with a small number of folders first allows you to confirm the deletion quantity is correct before executing on the full directory.
Summary: Using Rule-Based Batch Processing to Replace Repetitive Manual Renaming
When you need to delete left-side text from multiple folder names, the most effective method is not renaming one by one, but first identifying the naming pattern and then using a batch tool for unified processing. In the example from this article, all folder names have 3 English letters on the far left. Therefore, by selecting "Delete Text from Folder Names" in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , setting "The leftmost few texts," and entering 3 for the quantity, batch trimming can be accomplished quickly.
This method is suitable for office scenarios like data archiving, project directory organization, customer folder cleanup, and standardizing system export directories. Its value lies not only in speed but also in unified rules and consistent results, which can significantly reduce repetitive labor. It is suggested that before processing, you observe the folder naming structure, confirm that the prefix length is consistent, and then follow the steps to add folders, set rules, and execute the process. For office users who frequently deal with large numbers of files and folders, mastering this batch naming technique can significantly enhance daily file management efficiency.