If a large number of folder names contain fixed separator characters or keywords and you want to delete all text after that character, manually renaming them one by one is very inefficient. This article focuses on batch folder renaming scenarios and demonstrates how to use the "Delete text in folder names" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "All content to the right of a certain text", enter END as the positioning text, and organize multiple folder names into a standardized format.
In many office directories, folder names tend to become increasingly longer over time. For example, at the start of a project, you might only need to record the project name and phase, but later versions, statuses, review results, and archiving notes are appended, eventually forming names like Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final, Design_START_oldVersion_END_Approved. When it comes time for unified archiving, suffixes like Final, Approved, Paid on the right side need to be removed. If you have a large number of folders, renaming them one by one can waste a lot of time.
This article introduces a more efficient method: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch rename many folders by deleting specified characters or all text after a specified string. In the example, the specified text is END, and the goal is to keep END and the content to its left while deleting everything to the right of END. This method also applies to other fixed markers like DONE, OK, FINISH, 2024, V2, etc. As long as there is a uniform positioning text within your folder names, you can follow the steps in this article.
Applicable Scenario: Uniformly Cleaning Up Descriptions After Fixed Markers
In enterprise office work, folder names often serve as information records. R&D teams might use START and END to mark valid fields; finance personnel might append Paid or Unpaid after invoice directories; designers might add Approved or Edited after material folders; operations staff might append Draft or Final after activity materials; administrative staff might add descriptions like Archive or Report after archival directories.
These suffixes are valuable during process management, but when materials need to be delivered, archived, migrated, or renumbered, excess suffixes affect directory neatness. Especially in multi-person collaborations, inconsistent naming formats can increase search costs. In such cases, batch processing folder names with office software is more reliable than manually deleting them one by one.
The focus of this tutorial is not to delete a single fixed word, but to delete all content to the right of a certain text. That is, regardless of whether what follows END is Final, Release, Archive, or other text of varying lengths, it can all be processed under the same rule.
Before Processing Effect: Suffixes of Different Lengths to the Right of END
In the pre-processing folder list, each name contains END, but the content following END varies. For example, in Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final, what follows END is Final; in Build_START_debugInfo_END_Release, it is Release; in Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive, it is Archive.
If these suffixes were of consistent length, simple truncation might work; however, in reality, suffixes often differ in length and meaning, requiring judgment for each manual deletion. The advantage of a batch processing tool is that it doesn't care what the specific text on the right is; as long as it finds END, it can delete all content to the right of END.
After Processing Effect: All Names Uniformly Retained Up to END
After processing, the folder names become neater. All directories are retained up to END, and the status words and additional descriptions on the right have been removed. The final results include Backup_START_tempFiles_END, Build_START_debugInfo_END, Client_START_2024Draft_END, Data_START_sampleChunk_END, etc.
This result is particularly suitable for directory standardization. Regardless of what was originally to the right of END, all processed items follow the same naming convention, facilitating subsequent archiving, synchronization, compression, backup, or handover.
Step 1: Open the Feature to Delete Text from Folder Names
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first select Folder Name in the left navigation. As seen in the screenshot, this office software provides multiple batch processing categories, and the Folder Name category is specifically for handling directory names, not for processing Word, Excel, PDF, or image files themselves.
In the Folder Name feature area, find "Delete Text from Folder Names". The feature description is for batch deletion of text from folder names, which perfectly matches this requirement. Click this feature to enter the processing interface.
The expected result of this step is to enter the correct batch rename function. Note that if you need to process file names like docx, doc, xlsx, pdf, you should select features related to file names; however, the processing objects in this case are folders, so you must choose the feature under Folder Name.
Step 2: Add the Folders to Be Processed into the List
After entering the feature, the top of the interface shows the current task as "Delete Text from Folder Names", with buttons like Add Folders, Clear, and More. Click Add Folders to add the directories that need batch name changes to the processing list.
After adding, the table will display all pending records. The screenshot shows 10 records containing information like Name, Path, Creation Time, Modification Time. The Name column is used to confirm the folder names to be modified, and the Path column confirms the location of these folders.
At this step, it is recommended to focus on checking two points: first, whether the folders in the list are all those needing processing this time; second, whether the names all contain the specified text END. Since the subsequent rule will use END as the anchor point, if some directories do not contain END, they are not suitable for inclusion in the same batch task.
After confirming the records are correct, click Next at the bottom of the page. This proceeds to the second stage to start setting the specific deletion rules.
Step 3: Select Deleting All Content to the Right of the Specified Text
On the processing options settings page, multiple operation types can be seen. Since the current goal is to delete all text following END, you need to select "All content to the right of a specific text". This option means the software will first find the specified text in the folder name and then delete the characters to its right.
After selecting the operation type, fill in END in the "Text" input box. The red arrows in the screenshot mark the entered END and the selected "All content to the right of a specific text". The combination of these two settings forms the core rule for this batch rename.
The page also has an "Include this text" switch. Based on the screenshot, this switch is off, so processing will retain END and only delete the content to its right. The final sample results also prove this: all folders end with END, rather than having END removed as well.
After completing the settings, click Next to proceed to the save location step. Since the specific options on that page are not shown in the screenshot, simply follow the software interface prompts to continue confirming. For important directories, it's recommended to verify the rules and target list before officially starting to avoid misprocessing.
Step 4: Execute Processing and Check Results
According to the process flow at the top of the interface, after completing the processing options setup, you still need to go through setting the save location and starting processing. Follow the software prompts to confirm and execute the task. After processing is complete, you can return to the file explorer to check if the folder names have been changed to the target format.
In this case, the processing results should match the post-processing screenshot: Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final should become Backup_START_tempFiles_END after deleting the content on the right; Invoice_START_batch001_END_Paid should become Invoice_START_batch001_END; Photo_START_rawSet_END_Edited should become Photo_START_rawSet_END.
If the check results meet expectations, it means the rule settings are correct. In the future, for similar needs to batch delete text after a specified character, you only need to change the positioning text. For example, replace END with DONE, #, -, _2024, etc., provided these texts have clear delimiter meaning in the folder names.
Common Issues and Precautions
1. Why choose "All content to the right of a specific text"? Because this requirement is not about deleting a fixed word or a fixed length of characters, but about using END as a boundary to delete all content to its right. This option best fits the scenario of truncating folder names based on a positioning text.
2. If there is an underscore after END, will it be deleted too? Yes. Since the underscore is to the right of END, selecting to delete all content on the right will remove the underscore and any following text like Final, Release, so the result will end directly with END.
3. Can END be kept? Yes. In the screenshot, the "Include this text" switch is off, and the final effect also retains END. If your goal is only to delete the content following END, keep this setting.
4. Is it suitable for processing a very large number of folders at once? The value of batch processing tools lies in reducing repetitive operations. However, when handling a large quantity, it's advisable to first test with a small sample to confirm the rules are correct before expanding the processing scope.
5. What if there are multiple ENDs in a folder name? The screenshot does not show the processing effect for multiple identical positioning texts. If multiple ENDs might appear in your directory names, it's recommended to first test a few records separately to confirm the software's result for repeated texts meets your expectations before batch execution.
Summary: Improving Folder Organization Efficiency with Rule-Based Processing
Batch deleting all text after a specified character in folder names is a very practical operation for folder organization and directory standardization. With HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , complex manual renaming can be transformed into clear rule settings: add folders, choose to delete text from folder names, specify "All content to the right of a specific text", enter END, and finally follow the wizard to complete the process.
This method effectively reduces repetitive work and avoids issues like missed deletions, incorrect deletions, and format inconsistencies caused by manual renaming. If you are organizing project directories, client folders, financial archive directories, or design material directories, you can first select a set of samples to follow the steps in this article, confirm the effect, and then batch-process more folders.