When a large number of folder names contain a unified delimiter, manually renaming them one by one to retain a key text and the content to its right is very time-consuming. This article uses the example of deleting all content to the left of "START" in folder names, introducing how to use the batch folder name processing function in office software to clean up multiple folder names at once. It is suitable for project archiving, data organization, backup directory standardization, and other scenarios.
When organizing project materials, backing up directories, client folders, or directories of batch-downloaded assets, you often encounter a naming issue: folder names have unwanted numbers, sources, categories, or legacy system prefixes at the beginning, while the content you actually need to keep starts from a specific fixed text. For example, the folder names in the screenshot contain structures like "Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final" and "Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive". Now you need to batch delete all content to the left of "START", so that folder names uniformly begin from "START".
If there are only a few folders, manual renaming is acceptable; but when a directory contains dozens or hundreds of folders, deleting prefixes one by one is not only inefficient but also prone to mis-deleting characters and missing folders, affecting subsequent archiving and searching. This article, with reference to screenshots, will demonstrate how to use the "Delete text in folder names" function within office software like " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch delete all content to the left of a specific text in many folder names.
Applicable Scenarios: Which folder names are suitable for this processing
The method introduced in this article is suitable for scenarios where folder names contain a fixed identifier text, and you wish to delete the content to the left of that identifier text. For instance, all folder names contain uniform characters like "START", "END", "_", "-", "Project Number", and the user only wants to keep the part starting from that text and going right.
Common scenarios include: project directories exported from old systems with redundant classification prefixes; folder names submitted by different departments preceded by personnel names, region names, or source names; backup folder names where the left side is a useless description and the right side is the project status to be retained; batch-downloaded material directories with website identifiers at the front that need to be uniformly removed.
Although this article deals with folder names, similar batch naming ideas are also common in office file organization, such as Word doc, docx files, Excel xls, xlsx files, PDFs, images, videos, and other materials. If the naming pattern of files or folders is clear, using batch processing tools is usually more stable than manual modification.
Effect Preview: Folder name changes before and after processing
Before processing, the left side of the folder names has different prefixes, such as Backup, Build, Client, Data, Design, Invoice, Notes, Photo, Project, Task, etc. These prefixes have inconsistent lengths and cannot be simply deleted by a fixed number of characters, but they all share one commonality: the names all contain "START".
From the screenshot, it can be seen that the content to be deleted is all characters to the left of "START". Since the length of the left prefix varies for each folder, manual processing would require selecting and deleting texts of different lengths, which is very error-prone.
After processing, all folder names start from "START". The original content to the left of START, such as Backup, Build, Client, has been deleted, while START itself and the content to its right are retained. For example, "Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive" becomes "START_2024Draft_END_Archive".
This result indicates that the core rule for this batch rename is: find the specified text "START" in the folder name, delete all content to its left, and do not delete the text "START" itself.
Operation Steps: Batch delete content to the left of specified text
The following describes the operation flow according to the sequence of software interface screenshots. Since this uses the batch processing function within office software, the overall process focuses not on opening each folder and renaming it individually, but on first adding the folders to be processed, then setting a unified deletion rule, and finally executing the batch operation.
Step 1: Enter the "Delete text in folder names" function
After opening " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", select "Folder Name" in the left tool category. The main interface will display multiple function cards related to folder name processing, including Find and Replace, Insert Text, Add Prefix/Suffix, Case Conversion, etc.
The goal this time is to delete a portion of text in the folder names, so select the function card "Delete text in folder names". This function is used to perform batch deletion operations on folder names, suitable for rules like deleting numbers, blanks, specified content, all content to the left or right of a certain text, etc.
After entering this function, the software will proceed to a step-by-step wizard. The screenshot shows the process includes steps like "Select Records to Process", "Set Processing Options", "Set Save Location", "Start Processing", etc. Such a process helps confirm the targets and rules before actually executing, reducing the risk of batch renaming.
Step 2: Add the folders to be processed and confirm the list
On the "Select Records to Process" page, click "Add Folder" in the upper right to add the folders for batch renaming to the list. After adding, the software will display information in a table, such as sequence number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and operations.
From the screenshot, you can see that 10 folders have been added to the list, with paths located under the D:\test\ directory. Each record's name contains "START", such as "Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final", "Build_START_debugInfo_END_Release", "Task_START_removeThis_END_Done", etc.
The purpose of this step is to make the software clear about which folders to process this time. It is recommended to check whether the number of records, folder names, and paths are correct before clicking "Next". If you find folders that do not need processing have been added, you can remove them using the operation column in the interface to avoid mishandling.
Step 3: Set the deletion rule to "All content to the left of a text"
After entering "Set Processing Options", you need to select the specific deletion type. According to the screenshot, you should select "All content to the left of a text" this time. The meaning of this option is: the software will search for the specified text in each folder name, and then delete all characters to the left of that text.
Enter "START" in the "Text" input box. This means the software uses START as a positioning marker, finds START, and deletes the content to its left. Since START is still retained in the screenshot after processing, the "Include this text" switch should remain off. This way, the deletion range only includes the content to the left of START, not START itself.
For example, in the original folder name "Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final", the left side of START is "Backup_". After execution, the left content is deleted, and the name becomes "START_tempFiles_END_Final". Similarly, "Project_START_alpha_END_Report" will become "START_alpha_END_Report".
This step is the key to the entire batch process. Please ensure the entered text matches the marker in the folder names exactly, including case, underscores, spaces, etc. If the name contains "Start" but "START" is entered, it may fail to match the target text.
Step 4: Continue to set the save location and start processing
After completing the deletion rule settings, click "Next" to enter "Set Save Location". The screenshot shows that the wizard also has two subsequent steps: "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". Since the processing target this time is folder names, the settings related to the save location should be chosen cautiously based on actual business needs, confirming that it will not affect directories that shouldn't be modified.
After proceeding to the "Start Processing" step, double-check the processing records and rules: the target is folders; the function is delete text in folder names; the operation type is delete all content to the left of a text; the text is START; not including this text. Execute the process after confirming no errors.
After the processing is complete, return to the File Explorer to view the folder list, and you will see that all folder names have been uniformly started from START, as shown in the effect diagram. For a large number of folders, this method can complete a name cleanup with consistent rules in one go.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Why choose "All content to the left of a text" instead of deleting the leftmost few characters? Because in the example, the left prefixes of the folders have different lengths; some are Backup, some Client, some Project. Deleting by a fixed character count might lead to inconsistent results. Using the specified text START as an anchor point is more suitable for handling prefixes of non-uniform lengths.
2. What if I want to delete START along with it? As seen in the interface, there is an "Include this text" toggle. The goal of this article is to retain START, so it was not enabled. If your need is to delete START and its left content, you can adjust this toggle according to your actual needs, but it is recommended to test with a small number of folders before operation.
3. What happens if a folder name does not contain START? Such folders may not undergo the expected change according to this rule. Before batch processing, check the pending list to ensure all names contain the same positioning text as much as possible, or filter out the folders that match the rule first.
4. Is it suitable for processing Word, Excel, PDF files, etc.? This article demonstrates the folder name function. If you need to process names of files like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, etc., you should choose the corresponding file name or related tool function in the software. The processing idea is similar, but the entry point should be based on the actual interface.
Summary: Reduce repetitive renaming work with batch processing
Batch deleting all content to the left of a specific text in folder names is essentially using a uniform marker for batch renaming. Compared to manual modification one by one, the batch processing method of office software can reduce repetitive labor, improve naming consistency, and is especially suitable for tasks like project archiving, data cleaning, and standardized folder organization.
If your folder names also have fixed markers, such as START, END, project codes, or a certain separator, you can follow the steps in this article to enter the "Folder Name" category, use the "Delete text in folder names" function, select "All content to the left of a text", enter the positioning text, and execute the batch processing. It is recommended to back up or test on a small scale first, and only apply the batch operation to all folders after confirming the rules are correct.