When exporting, archiving, or generating systems, many folders have fixed-length text such as dates, serial numbers, batch numbers, etc., appended to the end of their names, for example, ABC20240101, BCD20241010. Renaming them manually is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to batch delete the rightmost characters of folder names, quickly restoring folders with date-based numbers to concise names.
In daily office work, folder names are often automatically appended with a date or serial number by the system. For example, a project code might be followed by an 8-digit date, a client abbreviation followed by a batch number, or a data category followed by a sequence number. Renaming a few folders manually is feasible, but if you need to process dozens, hundreds, or more folders, deleting the text at the end of each name one by one is highly inefficient and prone to errors like over-deleting, under-deleting, or missing some entirely.
This article addresses that typical problem: how to batch delete the rightmost few characters from many folder names. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example below, it demonstrates how folder names like ABC20240101, BCD20241010, and DEF20240202 can be processed by deleting the rightmost 8 characters to become ABC, BCD, and DEF. The entire process is suitable for office staff, data managers, financial archivists, and project document organizers. Its core value lies in reducing repetitive work by completing batch folder renaming through a batch processing method.
Applicable Scenarios: Which Folder Names Are Suitable for Deleting the Rightmost Characters
Deleting characters from the right side of folder names is best suited for processing folders whose ending text has a consistent length. For instance, all folder names end with an 8-digit date, or all end with a fixed-length batch number. As long as the text to be deleted is at the far right of the folder name and the length is the same, this method can be used for batch processing.
Common scenarios include: client data folders exported from business systems, where the name format combines the client abbreviation with a date; project archiving where a date (year, month, day) is appended to each project folder name; scanned documents or report folders named by department abbreviation plus a batch number; and organizing historical data where old serial numbers at the end of folder names need to be removed. Turning ABC20240101 into ABC or MNO20240505 into MNO represents the most typical need to delete the final 8 characters in a batch.
It is important to note that this article discusses processing folder namesānot deleting the folders themselves, nor deleting the files within them. The operational goal is to modify folder names by removing unwanted text from the right side, making the naming more uniform and concise.
Preview of Results: Folder Names with Date/Serial Numbers Before Processing
Before processing, the folder names show a three-letter prefix on the left and a string of 8 digits on the right. Examples include ABC20240101, BCD20241010, DEF20240202, and GHI20240303. The red lines in the screenshot highlight the ending digit portions that need to be removed, indicating these digits are all located on the far right of the folder names and have a consistent length.
This kind of naming is common when exporting data, but for subsequent searching, summarizing, displaying, or delivering, users might only need to keep the preceding business abbreviation. If renaming manually one by one, you'd need to open the rename state, select the trailing digits, delete them, and confirm. Doing this a dozen times might be acceptable, but repeating it hundreds of times would be a clear waste of time.
Preview of Results: Only Core Left-Side Names Retained After Processing
After processing, you can see the 8-digit numbers at the end of the original names have been batch-deleted. The folder names now are ABC, BCD, DEF, GHI, JKL, MNO, PQR, STU, VWX, and YZA. Each folder retains only the core text on the left, resulting in a more uniform and concise naming convention.
This outcome shows that batch deleting the rightmost few characters from folder names doesn't require operating on each one individually. By simply selecting the corresponding function in the tool, adding the folders to be processed, and setting the deletion rule, you can complete the renaming for multiple items all at once.
Operation Steps: Using Office Software to Batch Delete Rightmost Text in Folder Names
Step 1: Enter the Folder Name Tool and Choose "Delete Text in Folder Names"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Folder Name" from the function categories on the left. The interface will display multiple features related to batch folder naming, such as finding and replacing keywords in folder names, inserting text into folder names, adding prefixes and suffixes to folder names, and converting folder name case. For this current needādeleting a few characters from the end of the nameāselect "Delete Text in Folder Names."
The purpose of this step is to enter the specific workflow for deleting text from folder names. Only after selecting the correct function will the subsequent settings revolve around deletion rules. For users needing to batch-remove dates, serial numbers, or suffix text from folder names, this is the critical entry point.
Step 2: Add the Folders to be Processed and Confirm the List is Correct
After entering the "Delete Text in Folder Names" function, you can see the process at the top of the interface is divided into four steps: Select Records to Process, Set Processing Options, Set Save Location, and Start Processing. In the first step, click "Add Folders" to add the folders you need to batch rename into the list.
The screenshot shows 10 folders have been added. The list contains information columns like Sequence Number, Name, Path, Creation Time, Modification Time, and Actions. Users can check the Name column to verify if these are the folders intended for processing, for instance, ABC20240101, BCD20241010, DEF20240202, etc. If you find an addition error, you can remove a single record using the delete icon in the Actions column, or use the "Clear" button at the top to re-add them.
It is recommended to carefully review the list in this step, because batch renaming is highly efficientāonce the rules are correctly set, all records will be processed together. Confirming the target scope in advance prevents including folders that should not be modified in the batch task.
Step 3: Set Processing Options by Choosing the Rightmost Characters
After confirming the folder list, click "Next" to reach the Set Processing Options stage. Here you need to select the type of text deletion. Based on the screenshot, the selected option is "The Rightmost Characters," and the quantity "8" is entered in the input box.
This setting means: for every added folder name, delete 8 characters starting from the far right. Taking ABC20240101 as an example, the rightmost 8 characters are 20240101; deleting them leaves ABC. For GHI20240303, deleting 20240303 leaves GHI. Because the date serial numbers in the examples are all 8 digits long, entering 8 yields accurate results.
If the end of your folder names has a 6-digit serial number, set the quantity to 6; if it's a 4-digit year or sequence number, set it to 4. The key principle is to fill in the quantity based on the length of the ending text you need to delete; don't set it based on a guess. For date-type text, common lengths include 8-digit year-month-day, 6-digit year-month, and 4-digit year. Before operating, look at a few sample names to confirm the pattern is consistent.
Step 4: Continue to Set the Save Location and Start Processing
After finishing the deletion rule settings, click "Next" again. The process flow shows two subsequent stages: Set Save Location and Start Processing. Follow the software wizard to continue, set the save location for the processing results, and then enter the Start Processing stage.
The purpose of this step is to let the software execute the batch folder renaming according to the rules just configured. Since you have already added records and set them to delete the rightmost 8 characters, once processing begins, the tool will apply the same rule to every folder in the list one by one, eliminating manual repetitive operations.
After processing finishes, go back to the folder's location to check the results. The folder names should change from having a date/serial number suffix to only retaining the core left-side name. Consistent with the post-processing screenshot, ABC20240101 will become ABC, BCD20241010 will become BCD, and other folders will be modified following the same logic.
Common Questions and Considerations
1. How should the deletion quantity be entered?
The quantity should be the number of characters you want to delete from the far right of the name. In the example, an 8-digit date needs to be deleted, so 8 is entered. If your folder names end with a 6-digit year-month like 202406, enter 6; if they end with 4 characters like -001 and you want to delete the hyphen together, enter 4.
2. Can this be used if folder name lengths are inconsistent?
Yes, it can be used, provided the length of the ending text you need to delete is consistent. For example, it doesn't matter if the first half of the folder names vary in length; as long as they all end with an 8-digit date, you can uniformly delete 8 characters. If some folder names end with an 8-digit date and others with a 6-digit serial number, it's not recommended to process them in the same task. You can add and process them in separate batches with distinct rules.
3. Will this function delete the contents of the folders?
No. The demonstration in this article is about deleting text from folder names, i.e., batch renaming folders. The processing target is the folder name itself, not deleting the folders or clearing their contents. To be safe, it is still advisable to confirm the selected records are correct before processing.
4. Why is it recommended to test with a small sample first?
If you are processing a batch of folders where the naming rules are not perfectly uniform for the first time, it's recommended to select a small sample for testing first. After confirming the post-deletion names meet your expectations, you can then batch-process all folders. This reduces the risk of operational errors, which is especially suitable for scenarios involving important folders like project materials, client data, or contract archives.
5. What if duplicate folder names occur?
After deleting the ending text, duplicate names might appear. For instance, deleting the rightmost 8 characters from both ABC20240101 and ABC20240202 would result in ABC. You should check for such a situation before processing. If identical names would be generated in the same directory, you need to re-plan your naming rules to avoid conflicts affecting the results.
Summary: Replacing Repetitive Manual Renaming with Batch Processing
Batch deleting the rightmost few characters from folder names is a very practical operation in file organization. For folders ending with dates, serial numbers, or batch numbers, as long as the length of this text is consistent, you can use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to quickly complete batch renaming.
Compared to manually deleting ending characters one by one, the batch processing method of the office software is more stable, saves more time, and is more suitable for organizing large volumes of data. It is recommended that before processing, you first confirm the naming pattern, add the correct folders, enter the deletion quantity based on actual needs, and then execute. This way, originally tedious repetitive tasks can be compressed into just a few steps, making folder archiving, delivery, and retrieval much more efficient.