In many office scenarios, folder names may contain unwanted letter prefixes, system numbers, or temporary codes, such as ABC20240101. To batch remove text within a specified range, manual renaming is very inefficient. This article uses actual screenshots to explain how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select the function to delete text from folder names, add multiple folders, and batch delete the first three characters using the position range 1:3, quickly turning folder names into standardized date codes.
When organizing folders, the most troublesome part is often not changing a single name, but adjusting a large number of names according to the same rule. For example, a batch of archive folders organized by date was originally supposed to be named 20240101, 20240202, 20240303, but due to letter prefixes added during export or aggregation, they became ABC20240101, DEF20240202, GHI20240303. Faced with this situation, if you right-click to rename each one and manually delete the first three characters, it is not only slow but also easy to miss a folder.
This article will focus on the issue of batch removing text in a specified range from folder names, explaining how to use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete the operation. The sample task is: uniformly delete the text from the 1st to 3rd position in multiple folder names, batch organizing folder names with letter prefixes into pure date numbers. For users who need to batch delete folder name prefixes, batch clean folder names, or delete folder name characters by position range, this is a very practical processing method.
Applicable Scenarios: When to Batch Remove Text in a Specified Range from Folder Names
The structure of folder names often carries information such as dates, projects, customers, batches, and departments. However, in actual office work, names often get mixed with some no longer needed content, such as system-generated identifiers, codes attached by download platforms, or classification letters temporarily added manually. As long as these contents are in the same position in each folder name, you can consider using the method of deletion by range.
For example, the following types of situations are very typical:
- Batch remove the first three letters: Like ABC20240101, BCD20240110, wanting to delete ABC, BCD, and keep only the following date.
- Delete fixed-position numbers: For example, the 5th to 8th characters in the folder name are temporary serial numbers that are no longer needed for final archiving.
- Uniformly clean exported directory names: Folders exported from business systems, cloud drives, or compressed packages have fixed-length prefixes and need batch organization.
- Standardize project delivery directories: After project completion, temporary markers need to be deleted to make folder names comply with delivery standards.
- Improve data archiving efficiency: When the number of folders is large, reduce repetitive renaming work through batch processing.
It should be noted that deletion by position range is suitable for situations where "the character positions to be deleted are consistent". If the text to be deleted in each folder is exactly the same, find-and-replace can also be considered; if you want to delete all numbers, all Chinese characters, or all English letters, you should also choose the corresponding deletion type. In the example of this article, although the starting letters of each folder are different, they all occupy positions 1 to 3, so using a position range is very appropriate.
Effect Preview: From Letter-Prefixed to Pure Date Folder Names
The folder list before processing is as follows. As you can see, each folder name has three English letters at the beginning, followed by date numbers. The red markings highlight the prefix area that needs to be deleted. For instance, ABC in ABC20240101, BCD in BCD20240110, DEF in DEF20240202 are all the text to be batch deleted this time.
After processing is complete, the folder names become more unified. The original three-letter prefixes have disappeared, leaving only the date part in the names, such as 20240101, 20240110, 20240202, 20240303, etc. For scenarios of archiving by date or managing data by batch number, such naming is clearer and also easier for sorting and searching.
From the comparison, it can be seen that this operation is not about deleting a specific fixed keyword, but deleting the content within the same position range in each folder name. It is precisely because of processing by position range that different letter prefixes like ABC, BCD, DEF, GHI can be cleaned up uniformly.
Operation Steps: Using Office Software to Batch Delete Specified Range Text from Folder Names
Step One: Find the Delete Text Function in the Folder Name Category
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first look at the left navigation bar. In the interface, you can see categories like Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organizing, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, etc. Since the object of this process is folders, not Word, docx, doc, Excel, or PDF files themselves, you should enter the Folder Name category.
In the Folder Name tool area, find and select Delete Text in Folder Names. In the screenshot, this function is located in the Folder Name related function cards and is shown as the function to be used currently.
The purpose of this step is to select the correct batch processing entry point. Many users easily confuse "File Name" and "Folder Name" when processing names. If you want to modify directory names, data folder names, or project folder names, you should use the relevant functions under Folder Name.
Step Two: Add Folders That Need Batch Processing
After entering the Delete Text in Folder Names page, the software will enter a step-by-step processing interface. The first step is Select records to process. On the top right of the page, you can see the Add Folders button, which is used to add target folders to the task list.
After adding, the list will display multiple fields, including sequence number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and actions. In the example, a total of 10 folders have been added, located under the D:\test\ directory, each row corresponding to a folder to be processed. The summary at the bottom of the table shows the record count as 10, indicating that this task will batch process these 10 folder records.
It is recommended to focus on checking two things in this step: first, whether the folder names all comply with this processing rule, such as whether they all follow the structure of "three letters + date digits"; second, whether the paths are correct, to avoid mistakenly adding folders from other directories to the processing task. If you find a row that does not need processing, you can delete it through the action column; if the overall list is wrong, you can use the clear button on the page to re-add.
After confirming no errors, click Next at the bottom to enter the processing rule settings.
Step Three: Choose Position Range in Processing Options
After arriving at the second step Set processing options, you can see that the software provides multiple operation types. The interface lists options like All Numbers, All Whitespace, Rightmost Several Texts, All Content Between Two Texts, All Chinese Characters, All Content, All Content to the Left of a Text, Position Range, All English Letters, Leftmost Several Texts, All Content to the Right of a Text, etc.
This task is to remove the 1st to 3rd characters at the beginning of the folder name. Although these characters are all English letters, if you directly choose to delete all English letters, it would theoretically delete all English letters in the name; but what this example really intends is "only delete the first three characters in the specified position." Therefore, a more precise approach is to select Position Range.
The advantage of choosing Position Range is that the rule is clear and highly controllable. It doesn't care whether these three characters are specifically ABC, BCD, or YZA, but uniformly deletes from the 1st to the 3rd position. For requirements like batch deleting folder name prefixes or removing fixed-length characters, this is a very commonly used setting.
Step Four: Enter Range 1:3, Indicating Deletion of First Three Characters
In the Range input area, the example fills in 1:3. Based on the processing results, it can be understood as: delete the text from the 1st to 3rd position in the folder name. Because the first three characters of each example folder name are English letters that do not need to be kept, this range exactly meets the requirement.
For a more intuitive understanding, you can look at a few conversion examples:
- ABC20240101 → Delete 1st to 3rd position → 20240101
- BCD20240110 → Delete 1st to 3rd position → 20240110
- JKL20240404 → Delete 1st to 3rd position → 20240404
- YZA20240909 → Delete 1st to 3rd position → 20240909
When filling in the range, the most important thing is to first determine the character positions. It is recommended that users count clearly from left to right the start and end points to be deleted, then enter the corresponding range. If the folder name contains spaces, special symbols, or prefixes of different lengths at the beginning, these characters also need to be counted in, otherwise the processing results may not match expectations.
After completing the settings, click Next at the bottom to proceed with the subsequent save location and start processing flow.
Step Five: Complete Save Location and Start Processing According to the Wizard
From the progress bar at the top of the page, you can see that the entire task consists of four stages: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. The current screenshots have already shown the key configurations of the first two steps. Subsequently, you just need to complete the save location settings according to the interface prompts and enter the start processing step.
Before formal execution, it is recommended to double-check: whether the target folders are in the task list; whether the operation type is Position Range; whether the range is filled in as 1:3; and whether you have understood that this rule will be applied to all folders in the list. Confirming before starting processing can reduce the risk of operational errors.
After processing is complete, open the directory where the folders are located for checking. If the rule is set correctly, folder names should batch change from the form of ABC20240101 to forms like 20240101, consistent with the effect picture after processing.
Frequently Asked Questions and Precautions
Question One: Why not use Find-and-Replace to delete texts like ABC, BCD?
Find-and-Replace is suitable for deleting the same fixed text, such as when all folders contain the same keyword. However, in this example, the three letters at the beginning of each folder are not the same; some are ABC, some are BCD, and some are DEF. If setting keywords one by one, it would still be quite troublesome. Using Position Range can directly delete the first three characters, without needing to care about the specific content.
Question Two: If you only want to delete the leftmost several texts, how can you choose?
In the interface, you can see the operation type Leftmost Several Texts. For the simple requirement of deleting a fixed number of characters from the left, it might also be applicable. However, the screenshots in this article show selecting Position Range and filling in 1:3, so this article explains according to this process. In actual use, you can choose the method that best meets your needs based on your naming rules.
Question Three: Will inconsistent folder name length affect the result?
If the characters that all folders need to delete are at the same position, you can use Position Range even if the total lengths are slightly different. But if the prefix lengths are inconsistent, for example, some folders are AB20240101, and some are ABCD20240101, and you uniformly delete 1:3, it may result in incomplete deletion or extra character deletion for some names. Therefore, you should check the naming pattern before batch processing.
Question Four: Is backup necessary before batch processing?
For important data, it is recommended to back up or copy a small portion of folders for testing first. The advantage of batch processing tools is executing on multiple objects at once, but if the rule is set incorrectly, it could also batch produce names that do not meet expectations. Testing on a small scale first makes formal processing more secure.
Question Five: Can this method process file names?
This article discusses folder name processing. The left side of the software interface also has the File Name category, suitable for processing names of files themselves, such as organizing names of documents, pictures, PDFs, Word, docx, doc, Excel files, etc. But if your objects are folders, you should use the Folder Name function shown in this article to avoid selecting the wrong processing object.
Summary: Deleting Folder Name Text by Range Makes Batch Renaming More Efficient
When a large number of folder names contain unnecessary text in fixed positions, manual renaming consumes a lot of time. In the example of this article, 10 folder names all have a three-letter prefix. Through the Delete Text in Folder Names function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , selecting Position Range and filling in 1:3, you can batch remove these prefixes and organize the names into a unified date format.
The core value of this method lies in routinizing repetitive operations: first determine the character range to be deleted, then let the office software execute it in batch. Whether it is organizing project materials, cleaning system export directories, or standardizing date folder names, it can significantly reduce repetitive work and improve file management efficiency.
If you also have a batch of folders that need to delete leading characters, middle numbers, or text in specified positions, you can first sort out the naming pattern, then follow the steps in this article to add folders, set the position range, and execute the process. For office workers who often perform batch organizing of files and folders, this type of tool can make tedious renaming work faster and more stable.