When a large number of file names contain English names, English numbers, or other English letters, renaming them one by one is both time-consuming and error-prone. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to use the "Delete Text in File Names" feature in office software to remove all English letters from multiple file names at once, while preserving numeric identifiers and file extensions such as Word, PDF, Excel, and TXT. It is suitable for document archiving, batch numbering, and file name standardization scenarios.
In daily office work, many files contain numeric IDs, English names, English project codes, and extensions in their filenames due to export systems, client submissions, project archiving, etc. For files like 1JamesAnderson.xlsx, 10EmilyCarter.pdf, 17RobertMitchell.docx, if you only want to keep the leading numeric ID for final archiving, manually deleting the English characters one by one is very inefficient. When there are only a few files, you can manage, but with dozens or hundreds, problems like missed deletions, accidental deletions, and incorrect extension changes easily occur.
The problem this article solves is clear: batch delete all English letters from many file names, quickly transforming filenames from the "Number + English Text + Extension" format to "Number + Extension". Using screenshots, the article below introduces how to complete this batch filename processing task in the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". This tool is positioned as a batch document processing office software, suitable for delegating repetitive file organization, renaming, conversion, and classification tasks to the software, thereby reducing manual labor.
Applicable Scenarios: When is it suitable to batch delete English letters from file names
Batch deleting all English letters from file names is common in scenarios like standardized data sorting, batch archiving, numbered file cleanup, and cross-departmental file handovers. For example, a folder might contain PDFs, Word documents (docx), Excel sheets (xlsx), and text files (txt) with filenames containing English names like JamesAnderson, EmilyCarter, RobertMitchell, but only the preceding sequence number needs to be kept. Using the batch delete English letters function here quickly reverts the filenames to a unified numbering format.
This need also often arises with files exported from business systems. To differentiate users or orders, the system might automatically append English names to filenames; but during subsequent archiving, printing, uploading, or transfer, administrators only need the numeric ID. If the English content remains, not only does the file list appear cluttered, but it can also affect sorting, searching, and cross-checking by number. Therefore, using office software for batch filename processing is a more stable and controllable solution than manual renaming.
Effect Preview: Before processing, filenames contain many English letters
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see various file types in the folder, including xlsx, pdf, txt, docx, etc. The filename structure is generally "Numeric ID + English Name + Extension", such as 1JamesAnderson.xlsx, 11EmilyCarter.txt, 17RobertMitchell.docx. The red box marks the English letter parts in the filenames, which are the target for this batch deletion.
If done manually, you would need to enter rename mode for each file one by one and then delete the English strings like JamesAnderson, EmilyCarter, RobertMitchell. This process is not only slow but also prone to accidentally deleting numeric IDs or extensions. Especially when formats like Word's docx, Excel's xlsx, PDF's pdf, and text file's txt are mixed together, manual operation is more likely to cause issues where files cannot be opened.
Effect Preview: After processing, only numeric IDs and file extensions remain
After processing, the English letters in the file names have been batch deleted. The original 1JamesAnderson.xlsx becomes 1.xlsx, 10EmilyCarter.pdf becomes 10.pdf, and 17RobertMitchell.docx becomes 17.docx. As seen, the English names in the file body are cleaned up, while the file types remain intact for continued opening and use.
This processing result is ideal for scenarios requiring file management by numeric ID. The file list becomes concise, and sorting rules are clearer. For data folders containing many formats like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, txt, batch deleting English letters from filenames significantly improves organization efficiency.
Step 1: Enter the "File Name" category and select the delete text function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Names" in the left function navigation. This category centrally provides functions related to batch file renaming, such as find and replace, insert text, add prefix/suffix, case conversion, etc. This time, to delete all English letters from filenames, you need to select "Delete Text in File Names".
The purpose of this step is to enter the function page specifically for deleting text content from file names. The screenshot shows that "Delete Text in File Names" is in the file name function list, indicating it targets the batch processing of the filenames themselves, not modifying document content. Selecting the correct function is necessary to batch delete English letters from filenames later according to rules.
Step 2: Add files to process or import from a folder
After entering the "Delete Text in File Names" page, the top of the interface provides two entry points: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If you only need to process a few specific files, click "Add Files"; if all files in a folder need uniform cleanup of English characters, use "Import Files from Folder".
Once imported, files are shown in a list with information like sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, etc. This list allows you to check if the correct files were imported and spot any unwanted files mixed in. The screenshot shows the software has recognized extensions like pdf, txt, docx and fully listed the file paths. This is crucial for batch renaming, as confirming the file scope before execution reduces the risk of processing errors.
After confirming the pending records are correct, click "Next" at the bottom. The expected result of this step is entering the processing rule setting page, i.e., telling the software what type of text to delete this time.
Step 3: Select "All English Letters" in the processing options
On the "Set Processing Options" page, you'll see multiple operation type choices, including all numbers, all whitespace, the rightmost few characters, all content between two text strings, all Chinese characters, all content, all content to the left of a specific text string, position range, all English letters, etc. The current goal is to batch delete English letters from file names, so you need to check "All English Letters".
After selecting "All English Letters", the software will process the names of the imported files according to this rule, uniformly deleting English characters found in the filename body. For a filename like 1JamesAnderson.xlsx, JamesAnderson is English letter text and will be deleted; the number 1 will be kept. For 11EmilyCarter.txt, EmilyCarter will be deleted; the number 11 will be kept.
Note that the file list in the screenshot separately displays the "Extension" field, indicating the software recognizes file types during processing. In actual operation, it's recommended to rely on the software's preview and final results to ensure extensions like xlsx, pdf, txt, docx are retained, preventing files from becoming unidentifiable types.
Step 4: Continue to set the save location and start processing
After selecting the "All English Letters" operation type, click "Next" at the bottom. Following the page flow, you will then go to "Set Save Location", and finally "Start Processing". The core purpose here is to determine how the processed files are saved, avoiding unnecessary impact on the original files. Batch renaming is a high-frequency office operation, but if a rule is chosen incorrectly, the impact is also magnified in batches. Therefore, review the file list and processing rules again before starting.
After completing the save location setting, proceed to the start processing phase. The software will batch delete English characters from filenames based on the imported files and the selected "All English Letters" rule. After the process is finished, checking back in the folder will reveal naming results like 1.xlsx, 2.pdf, 11.txt, 17.docx.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Will it delete letters in the file extension? From the list structure in the screenshots, filename and extension are displayed separately. The result screenshots also show that xlsx, pdf, txt, docx remain. Therefore, the goal in this case is to delete English letters from the main filename body, while preserving the file extension. Before the actual batch operation, it's recommended to test with a few files first, confirming the results meet expectations before processing all files.
2. If the filename has both English and numbers, will numbers be deleted? The selection is "All English Letters", not "All Numbers". Therefore, numeric IDs will be kept. For example, 23RobertMitchell.docx will result in 23.docx after processing, which is exactly the result needed for archiving by number.
3. What if the filename contains Chinese? Will it be affected? The current operation selects deleting English letters, not Chinese characters or all content. Generally, Chinese will not be deleted by this rule. If a filename contains Chinese, numbers, and English, you should first determine which content you truly want to retain, then select the corresponding rule.
4. Do I need to back up before processing many files? Backing up is recommended. Although batch processing tools greatly improve efficiency, batch renaming with an incorrect rule setting can affect many files. Especially for important files like official documents, contracts, reports, theses, scanned copies, it's best to first copy a set into a test folder for operation.
5. What file formats can be processed? As seen in the screenshots, this example includes PDF, Excel xlsx, Word docx, TXT text, and other files. Since this function processes filenames, not file content, it's generally suitable for organizing file names of different types. Whether doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, or txt, as long as batch standardization of filenames is needed, you can operate using a similar approach.
Summary: Use office software to batch delete English letters from filenames, reducing repetitive renaming work
Batch deleting all English letters from file names is essentially a typical office automation organization need. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool turns the originally one-by-one manual renaming work into a streamlined operation: import files, select rules, set save location, and start processing. For dozens or even hundreds of files, the efficiency improvement is very significant.
If your folders also contain many files in the "Number + English + Extension" format, such as a mix of Word docs (docx), PDF files, Excel sheets (xlsx), and TXT text files, and you wish to uniformly delete the English parts from the names, you can try following the steps in this article. It is recommended to test with a small sample first, confirm the processing effect is correct, and then proceed with batch processing the entire folder. This both enhances efficiency and ensures the accuracy of file organization.