Many office files, when exported, received, or archived, have an English prefix or fixed identifier at the beginning of the file name, followed by the date number that needs to be retained. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to demonstrate how to batch remove the English prefix at the beginning of file names, supporting simultaneous processing of docx, doc, pptx, ppt, xlsx, xls, pdf, jpg, txt, csv, and other files. Users simply need to import files, choose to delete the leftmost text, and set the quantity to uniformly standardize file names.
When organizing files, the most troublesome part is often not opening documents, but renaming a large number of files. For example, a folder might contain a dozen or even hundreds of files, all named with an English prefix followed by a date number: Alpha2024010101.docx, Bravo2024020202.doc, Chart2024030303.pptx, Delta2024040404.ppt. For archiving, only the trailing number needs to be kept, and the preceding English text is no longer meaningful. Manually deleting text like Alpha, Bravo, and Chart one by one is not only slow but also prone to errors.
This article introduces a method more suitable for office scenarios: using the file name feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete a fixed length of text from the beginning of file names. The core value of this office software lies in batch processing files, helping users turn repetitive, mechanical file organization tasks into rule-based operations. In the example here, we will delete the 5 leftmost characters of each file name, ultimately preserving the date number and the original extension.
Applicable Scenario: Best for Batch Processing When File Name Prefixes Have the Same Length
Batch removing English prefixes from the start of file names is suitable for scenarios where the prefix length is fixed. Here, "fixed length" does not require the prefix content to be identical, but it does require the number of characters to be deleted to be consistent. For instance, Alpha, Bravo, Chart, Delta, Eagle, Frame, Graph, Hotel, Index, and Judge are all 5 English characters. Although each word is different, the deletion rule is the same: remove 5 characters from the left side.
This situation is very common in practical office work. For example, contract attachments exported from a sales department system might have customer abbreviations prepended to the file names; voucher files downloaded by the finance department might have batch codes at the beginning; materials organized by a project team might include old project codes in the file names; and training or academic staff organizing courseware, spreadsheets, or images might need to unify naming rules to dates or numbers. As long as the goal is to delete a fixed number of characters from the left side of file names, the method in this article can be used.
This method is not limited to a single document format. The files in the screenshot include Word documents (docx, doc), PowerPoint presentations (pptx, ppt), Excel spreadsheets (xlsx, xls), as well as jpg images, txt text files, pdf files, and csv data files. For office workers who need to standardize file naming, processing different file formats in the same batch task can significantly reduce repetitive operations.
Result Preview: Before Batch Processing, File Names Start with English Text
First, let's look at the state before processing. In the screenshot, the file names are all composed of an English prefix, a date number, and an extension. The red markers indicate that the real target for deletion is the English part on the far left of the file name, not the numeric suffix or the extension.
If these files were processed manually, each one would require selecting, renaming, deleting the prefix, and confirming the save. The more files there are, the more time-consuming it becomes. More importantly, manual deletion makes it easy to accidentally delete a digit or leave a letter behind, leading to inconsistent naming. The advantage of batch processing is setting the deletion rule beforehand and then applying it to all files.
Result Preview: After Batch Processing, the Date Number is Retained
After processing, the English prefix at the beginning of the file names has been deleted, leaving the date number plus the original extension. For example, Alpha2024010101.docx becomes 2024010101.docx, Bravo2024020202.doc becomes 2024020202.doc, and Delta2024040404.ppt becomes 2024040404.ppt.
As the results show, batch renaming does not change the file format. Word files remain docx or doc, Excel files remain xlsx or xls, PowerPoint files remain pptx or ppt, and PDFs, images, text files, and CSVs also retain their original extensions. For subsequent archiving, sorting, searching, or system uploading, this unified numeric naming is much clearer.
Operation Steps: Follow the Screenshots to Delete Text from the Start of File Names
Step 1: Open the File Name Category and Enter "Delete Text from File Name"
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , the left navigation panel contains multiple office file processing categories, including File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, and more. Since we are dealing with the file names themselves here, we should select the File Name category.
In the File Name function area, find "Delete Text from File Name". In the screenshot, the description for this function is "Batch delete text from file names," and the interface prompt location also points to this function. Click it to enter the workflow for batch deleting text from file names.
The purpose of this step is to select the correct processing entry. File name processing includes various directions like inserting text, adding prefixes/suffixes, case conversion, and deleting text. Only by entering "Delete Text from File Name" can we remove the English prefix from the start of file names as required by this article.
Step 2: Import the Files to Process and Check if the Records are Correct
After entering the function page, the interface will proceed to the first step: Select records to process. On the upper right, there are buttons for Add Files, Import Files from Folder, Clear, More, etc. Depending on the file source, you can add files one by one or import them all at once from a folder.
After importing, the files will appear in the list. The table in the screenshot displays information like sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and actions. The Name column can be used to check if the file names meet expectations, the Path column confirms the source directory, and the Extension column helps determine if any unintended file types were imported. The bottom summary shows a record count of 10, indicating that 10 files were imported for the current batch.
It is advisable not to rush to the next step here. Especially in batch file processing, the import list represents the processing scope; the subsequent rules will apply to whatever files are in this list. After confirming there are no mistakes, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing options setup.
Step 3: Select "The Leftmost Few Characters" and Enter the Number to Delete
On the "Set Processing Options" page, the software provides various deletion types. The screenshot shows operation types including all digits, all whitespace, all Chinese characters, all content, all English letters, the rightmost few characters, the leftmost few characters, a position range, and all content to the right or left of a specific text string, among others.
Our goal is to delete the English prefix at the start of the file name, so we select "The leftmost few characters". Then, enter the number 5 in the quantity input box. This setting means: starting from the far left of each file name, delete 5 characters.
Why enter 5? Because the length of the English prefix in our example file names is exactly 5. Alpha is 5 characters, Bravo is 5 characters, Chart is 5 characters, and Delta is also 5 characters. The software will apply the same rule to every file in the list based on this number. This way, there is no need to tell the software to delete Alpha, Bravo, or Chart individually; simply tell it to uniformly delete the 5 leftmost characters.
The expected outcome of this step is that the processing rule is now clearly defined: All imported files will have 5 characters deleted from the far left of their names, preserving the trailing date number and extension. Once set, continue by clicking "Next".
Step 4: Continue to Set the Save Location and Start Batch Processing
From the interface workflow, after setting processing options, there are two more steps: Set Save Location and Start Processing. Follow the on-screen prompts to continue, confirm the save location, and proceed to "Start Processing." Since batch renaming affects multiple files, it is recommended to double-check that the rule is correct before processing, especially whether the quantity is 5 and the file list is exactly the batch you intend to process.
After starting the process, wait for the software to complete the task. Once finished, open the target folder to check the results. If you see that file names like Alpha2024010101.docx have changed to the format 2024010101.docx, the batch removal of the English prefix from the file names has been successful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. What if the file name prefix lengths are inconsistent?
The example in this article applies to files with a consistent prefix length. If some files need 5 characters deleted and others need 6, it is not advisable to process them all in the same batch using the same quantity. A safer approach is to first group files by naming convention and use the corresponding deletion quantity for each group.
2. Can I process only Word or Excel files?
Yes. The screenshots show various formats being processed together, but in actual operation, you can import only Word files like docx and doc, only Excel files like xlsx and xls, or only process pptx, ppt, pdf, jpg, txt, and csv files. The key isn't the file type, but whether the file name deletion rule is consistent.
3. Will deleting leftmost characters affect the extension?
Judging from the processing results, the extension is preserved. The goal of this operation is to delete characters from the beginning of the file name, not to modify the file type. As long as the rule is set correctly, the processed files will keep their original extensions, making them easy to continue opening with the corresponding office software.
4. Why not just select "All English letters"?
The operation types in the screenshot do include "All English letters," but this article selects "The leftmost few characters" because we only want to delete a fixed-length prefix from the beginning of the file name. If the latter part of the file name might also contain English letters, choosing "All English letters" might not meet the preservation rule. Using "The leftmost few characters" allows for more precise control over the deletion range.
5. How to reduce the risk of misoperation before batch processing?
It's recommended to first check the import list, then confirm the deletion quantity, and finally enter the "Start Processing" stage. For important files, you can first test the rule with a small sample set. Once you confirm that the processing effect matches expectations, then perform the batch operation on the complete folder. This approach leverages the efficiency of batch processing while also reducing the risk of accidentally deleting file name information.
Summary: Turning File Name Prefix Cleanup into a Rule-Based Operation
Batch removing English prefixes from the start of file names is essentially about transforming a repetitive manual renaming action into a unified rule. With the help of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , users can complete file import, rule setting, save location confirmation, and start processing within the office software, quickly organizing multiple file names from a prefixed format to a pure numeric format.
If your folders also contain a large number of files with English prefixes, project codes, batch identifiers, or other fixed-length text, you can follow the method in this article: enter the File Name category, select "Delete Text from File Name," import files, select "The leftmost few characters," enter the number of characters to delete, and then complete the subsequent processing. This not only saves time but also makes file naming more uniform and better suited for archiving and retrieval.