This article explains how to delete a fixed-length text at the beginning of a large number of folder names in one go, for example, batch removing the first 3 letters from folder names like ABC20240101, DEF20240202, and so on, keeping only the date or number part. The tutorial uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example, combining before-and-after effect images and the operation interface, explaining how to enter the "Delete Text in Folder Name" feature, add folders, select "the leftmost few texts," and fill in the quantity, helping users reduce the repetitive work of manual renaming.
When organizing project materials, client files, photo archives, contract folders, or date-sorted business directories, you often encounter a situation where many folder names have an unnecessary prefix on the left side, such as ABC20240101, BCD20241010, DEF20240202. These prefixes might be codes exported from old systems, department abbreviations, temporary batch numbers, or identifiers added during manual naming. If you later need to keep only the date, number, or core name, you'll need to uniformly delete the first few characters from the left side of the folder names.
If there are only three to five folders, manual renaming is acceptable; but when you have dozens, hundreds, or even more folders, pressing F2 to modify each one is not only time-consuming but also prone to deleting the wrong characters or missing folders, affecting data management efficiency. This article addresses the problem of batch deleting the leftmost characters from many folder names. We will use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to demonstrate how to delete the first 3 characters from multiple folder names at once, achieving batch folder renaming.
Applicable Scenarios: When is it suitable to delete the leftmost characters of folder names
"Delete text from folder names" seems like a very specific feature, but it is extremely practical in daily office work. Its core value is: when a large number of folder names share the same naming structure, you can batch clean up useless content at fixed positions, avoiding repetitive work.
Common applicable scenarios include:
- Export directory cleaning: Folders exported from business systems, ERP, OA, or project management platforms have department codes or system numbers on the left side of their names and need to be uniformly removed.
- Date directory organization: The folder name has an English abbreviation on the left followed by the date, like ABC20240101, and you want it changed to 20240101.
- Client data archiving: Client folders have temporary batch numbers as prefixes, and for archiving, you need to keep only the client name or contract number.
- Photo, design draft, and project material classification: Multiple batches of folders have used different prefixes. For unified searching and sorting later, you need to delete fixed-length left-side text.
- Batch renaming standardization: Cleaning up extra letters, numbers, spaces, or other fixed-position content from folder names to make them more concise.
Note that this article demonstrates processing folder names, not modifying the contents of files inside the folders like Word, Excel, PPT, PDFs, or images. If you need to process filenames for doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pptx, or PDF files, you should select the corresponding file name processing features; the target of this article's operation is folders.
Effect Preview: Folder name comparison before and after processing
Before processing: Folder names have a 3-letter prefix on the left
From the before processing screenshot, you can see that multiple folder names are composed of "letter prefix + date number," such as ABC20240101, BCD20241010, DEF20240202, GHI20240303, etc. The red highlighted area shows the left-side text to be deleted, with the goal being to remove the 3 leftmost characters from each folder name.
This type of naming structure is very suitable for "delete by position" processing. Because the content to be deleted on the left side of each folder has the same length—3 characters—you don't need to search for different keywords one by one; just tell the software to "delete the 3 leftmost texts" to complete it in batch.
After processing: Only the date or number main body is kept
The after processing screenshot shows that the original ABC20240101 has become 20240101, DEF20240202 has become 20240202, and GHI20240303 has become 20240303. The 3 letters at the beginning of the folder names have been batch-deleted, leaving the remaining part as a clearer date number.
From the results, it's clear that after batch processing, the folder names are more uniform, making them easier to sort by date, search, and archive. For office scenarios requiring long-term directory structure maintenance, this batch renaming method significantly reduces manual operation time.
Operating Steps: Using office software to batch delete the leftmost text from folder names
The following instructions follow the actual interface sequence shown in the screenshots. The example software is HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , a batch processing tool for office scenarios. On the left side, you can see categories like File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, etc. This article uses features under the "Folder Name" category.
Step 1: Enter the "Folder Name" category and select Delete Text from Folder Names
After opening the software, select Folder Name from the left function navigation. In the right function cards, you can see multiple features related to batch folder renaming, such as "Find and Replace Keywords in Folder Names," "Insert Text into Folder Names," "Add Prefix and Suffix to Folder Names," "Folder Name Case Conversion," etc.
This time, we need to delete the leftmost characters from folder names, so we should select the 5th function: Delete Text from Folder Names.
The purpose of selecting this function is to enter a processing flow specifically designed for deleting specified text from folder names. It does not delete the folders themselves, nor does it delete files within the folders; it modifies the name text of the folders. After entering this function, the software will guide the user step-by-step to select records, set processing options, set the save location, and start processing.
Step 2: Add the folders to be processed and check the list records
After entering the "Delete Text from Folder Names" page, the current function name is displayed at the top of the interface, and buttons like Add Folder, Clear, and More can be seen in the upper right corner. Step 1 of the page flow is "Select records to be processed."
Click Add Folder to add the folders that need batch renaming to the list. Once added, the software will display the records in a table format, including columns for Number, Name, Path, Creation Time, Modification Time, and Actions. In the screenshot, 10 folders have been added, with names including ABC20240101, BCD20241010, DEF20240202, GHI20240303, JKL20240404, etc.
The focus of this step is to confirm the processing targets are correct. It is recommended to check the following before clicking next:
- Are all folders in the list the objects that need to be renamed this time?
- Do the names conform to the "fixed-length left text + content to keep" structure?
- Are the paths correct to avoid adding identically named folders from other directories?
- If an item was added by mistake, you can use the delete action on the right side of that row to remove it.
- If you need to reselect, you can use the clear function on the interface to add them again.
After confirming the list is correct, click Next at the bottom to enter the processing options setup page.
Step 3: Select "Leftmost Characters" and enter the number to delete
On the "Set Processing Options" page, the software provides multiple operation types. Options visible in the screenshot include: All Digits, All Whitespace, Rightmost Characters, All Content Between Two Texts, All Chinese Characters, All Content, All Content to the Left of a Specific Text, Position Range, All English Letters, Leftmost Characters, All Content to the Right of a Specific Text, etc.
The goal of this example is to delete the first 3 characters from the beginning of each folder name, so we need to select Leftmost Characters and fill in 3 in the Quantity input box below.
The meaning of the settings here is very clear: the software will calculate from the leftmost side of each folder name and delete the specified number of characters. Taking the folder names in the screenshot as an example:
- ABC20240101 becomes 20240101 after deleting the leftmost 3 characters;
- DEF20240202 becomes 20240202 after deleting the leftmost 3 characters;
- GHI20240303 becomes 20240303 after deleting the leftmost 3 characters;
- JKL20240404 becomes 20240404 after deleting the leftmost 3 characters.
If your folder names need 2 characters deleted from the left, fill in 2 in the Quantity; if you need to delete 5 characters, fill in 5. The key is to confirm the deletion length according to the actual naming rules to avoid deleting content that needs to be kept.
Step 4: Continue to the next step and follow the wizard to complete setting the save location and starting processing
After setting the operation type and quantity, click Next at the bottom of the page. From the process bar at the top of the interface, you can see that the subsequent steps are "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing." Since the folder paths and processing methods may differ between batches, it is recommended to continue confirming according to the software's page prompts.
When entering the subsequent steps, it is recommended to focus on:
- Confirming that this process targets folder names, not file content;
- Confirming the quantity is filled in correctly, such as 3 in this example;
- Confirming the number of records to process matches expectations;
- Before starting processing, it's best to close any windows or programs that are currently using these folders;
- If the directory is very important, it is recommended to copy a test directory first, confirm the rules are correct, and then process the official data.
After completion, return to File Explorer to view the folder list. You will see that the 3 letters on the left side of the names have been batch-deleted, leaving only the following date number part.
Frequently Asked Questions and Precautions
1. What is the difference between "Leftmost Characters" and "All English Letters"?
"Leftmost Characters" deletes by position and quantity. For example, regardless of whether the left side contains letters, numbers, or Chinese characters, as long as they are on the far left, they are deleted by the specified quantity. This example chose a quantity of 3, so it deletes the first 3 texts from the beginning of each folder name.
"All English Letters," on the other hand, deletes by character type and will remove all English letters from the name. For situations where you only want to delete the initial prefix while keeping other letters in the name, using "Leftmost Characters" is more suitable.
2. What if some folder prefixes are not 3 characters?
If all folder prefixes are the same length, using "Leftmost Characters" is the simplest. If some folder prefixes have different lengths, you need to handle it carefully. You can add folders with the same naming rules in batches and set different quantities for each batch; or you can choose other operation types according to the actual situation, such as processing based on content to the left or right of a specific text. Do not blindly use the same quantity on folders with inconsistent rules.
3. Does it delete the folder name or the folder contents?
The feature is called "Delete Text from Folder Names," and its processing target is the characters in the folder name. It does not delete the folder, nor does it clear the folder contents. Despite this, batch renaming changes directory paths, which may affect certain shortcuts, scripts, or software reference paths. Therefore, it is recommended to back up important directories before processing.
4. Can it be used for Chinese, numeric, or mixed names?
As seen from the interface options, the software supports multiple deletion types, including All Digits, All Chinese Characters, All English Letters, and Leftmost Characters. For folder names mixed with Chinese, numbers, and letters, as long as you can clearly define the position and quantity to delete, you can use "Leftmost Characters" for batch processing.
5. Why should I check the list before processing?
The advantage of batch processing is modifying many items at once, but this also means that if rules are set incorrectly, the scope of impact is wider. Therefore, checking the list before clicking next is a key step in reducing the error rate. Especially when folder names involve dates, client names, or project numbers, it is recommended to first process a small sample, confirm the results meet expectations, and then execute the batch process.
Summary: Using a batch processing tool to reduce repetitive work in folder renaming
Batch deleting the leftmost characters from folder names is essentially a typical office automation need. While manual renaming is simple, its efficiency is very low when facing a large number of folders, and it is prone to missed changes and mistakenly deleted characters. Using the "Delete Text from Folder Names" feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can turn repetitive renaming operations into a rule-based process.
In the example in this article, we batch-deleted the 3 letters on the left side of folder names like ABC20240101, DEF20240202, GHI20240303, ultimately obtaining uniform formats like 20240101, 20240202, 20240303. The entire process can be summarized as: enter the Folder Name category, select the Delete Text feature, add folders, select "Leftmost Characters," fill in the quantity 3, and then follow the wizard to complete the processing.
If you frequently need to organize folders, standardize directory names, clean up prefixes from system exports, or batch process project materials, it is recommended to delegate these operations to office software. Test the rules with a small sample first, then batch process the official folders, which can improve efficiency and make folder naming more standardized, clear, and easy to manage.