File names containing English names or characters can make numbering, archiving, sorting, and batch retrieval inconvenient. This article introduces a processing method suitable for office scenarios: using the file name processing function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete all English letters from multiple file names, keeping only numerical identifiers and common extensions such as docx, xlsx, pdf, txt, etc. The article includes applicable scenarios, before and after processing effects, detailed operation steps, and precautions.
When organizing department data, client files, scanned copies, or system export documents, you often encounter file names like this: a number at the beginning, an English name or string in the middle, and a file extension at the end. For example, 1JamesAnderson.xlsx, 2JamesAnderson.pdf, 10EmilyCarter.pdf, 18RobertMitchell.docx. For filing personnel, the English name may not be essential information and can actually hinder viewing and checking files by numerical order.
If there are only a few files, you can rename them manually; but if a folder contains dozens or hundreds of Word, PDF, Excel, and TXT files, deleting English characters one by one not only wastes time but also risks accidentally deleting numbers, missing letters, or even inadvertently changing the extension. This article will demonstrate how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch-clean English names and letters from file names, making them more suitable for number-based management.
Applicable Scenarios: Which office tasks are suitable for batch cleaning of English characters in file names
This batch file name organization method is particularly suitable for the following types of office scenarios. First, files exported by the system come with English user names, but only sequence numbers are needed for actual archiving. Second, project files contain mixed-in English personnel names, and you want them standardized to numerical codes for subsequent handover. Third, the folder contains multiple formats like docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pdf, txt, requiring a unified file naming rule. Fourth, the English characters in file names are numerous and not completely consistent in pattern, making simple find-and-replace operations impractical.
Compared to regular manual renaming, batch processing office software offers advantages like unified rules, centralized operation, and the ability to process multiple file types at once. As long as you clearly define that "all English letters" need to be deleted, there is no need to enter different texts like JamesAnderson, EmilyCarter, or RobertMitchell separately. For situations where the English content varies greatly across file names, this character-type-based deletion method is more efficient.
Before Processing: File names contain mixed-in English names
In the folder before processing, you can see that file names consist of a numerical code, an English name, and an extension. For example, the Excel file 1JamesAnderson.xlsx, the text file 11EmilyCarter.txt, and the Word document 17RobertMitchell.docx. The screenshot highlights the English content needing cleaning in red boxes; these English letters are distributed across different file names, and their length and specific content are not completely consistent.
Using the traditional method requires renaming each file individually and manually deleting the English name. For different strings like JamesAnderson, EmilyCarter, and RobertMitchell, using find-and-replace one by one is also inconvenient because it requires setting up multiple keywords. A better method is to uniformly delete based on the "English letter" character type.
After Processing: File names become numbers plus extensions
After processing, the file names are significantly simplified. The original English names are deleted, leaving only the numerical code and the extension. For instance, 1JamesAnderson.xlsx becomes 1.xlsx, 12EmilyCarter.txt becomes 12.txt, and 20RobertMitchell.docx becomes 20.docx. This makes the file list cleaner and easier to sort and search by number.
As seen from the results, this batch process neither deletes the files themselves nor modifies their content; it targets only the file names for cleaning. For office users needing to batch-organize file names, this type of operation can significantly reduce repetitive work.
Operation Step 1: Open the file name tool and enter the text deletion function
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first select "File Name" in the left navigation bar. This is the functional category for handling file name-related tasks. After entering, you will see multiple file name processing tools, including finding and replacing keywords in file names, inserting text into file names, adding prefixes and suffixes to file names, and changing the case of file names.
This task aims to delete English characters from file names, so you should select "Delete Text from File Names". This step is crucial because different functions correspond to different processing logics. Only after selecting the text deletion function will subsequent options appear for deleting content based on numbers, spaces, Chinese characters, English letters, position ranges, etc.
Operation Step 2: Import the files that need batch renaming
After entering the "Delete Text from File Names" page, first add the files to be processed. At the top of the interface are two buttons: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If the files are scattered in different locations, you can use "Add Files" to select them in batches; if the files are concentrated in a single folder, using "Import Files from Folder" will be faster.
After the import is complete, the page displays the file records in a table format, including columns for sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and actions. This list acts as a confirmation area before processing. You can check if these are indeed the files needing cleaning, and view their paths to avoid accidentally adding files from other folders to the task.
As seen in the screenshot, files like 10EmilyCarter.pdf, 11EmilyCarter.txt, and 17RobertMitchell.docx have been added to the list, and the software has identified extensions like pdf and txt. Once you confirm the file scope is correct, click "Next" at the bottom of the page to proceed to setting the processing rules.
Operation Step 3: Select the deletion type as All English Letters
On the "Set Processing Options" page, the software offers several deletion methods. On the left, you can choose to delete all numbers, all spaces, the rightmost few characters, or content between two text strings; in the middle are options for all Chinese characters, all content, all content to the left of a specific text, or a position range; on the right, you can see options like "All English Letters". In this case, you need to select "All English Letters".
After selecting this option, the software will uniformly target English letters (A-Z, a-z) in the pending file names for deletion. This way, even if different file names contain different English names, you do not need to set keywords for each one. For example, although JamesAnderson, EmilyCarter, and RobertMitchell have different content, they are all composed of English letters and can be batch-cleaned with a single rule.
This is a very practical aspect of batch renaming: when the text to be deleted from file names is not fixed but the character type is, processing by character type is more convenient than keyword replacement. For English project codes, English names, English department abbreviations, and similar content, you can process them with a similar approach.
Operation Step 4: Set the save location and execute the batch process
After selecting "All English Letters", click "Next". According to the process flow at the top of the page, the next steps involve setting the save location and then starting the process. The save location setting determines how the processing results are stored. For important files, it is advisable not to rush to overwrite the original files; you can choose a safe save method or test directory first, and apply the result to formal documents only after confirming the processing results are accurate.
Before starting the process, reconfirm three things: first, do all imported files require cleaning of English characters; second, is the processing option set to "All English Letters"; third, does the save location meet your file management requirements. Once confirmed, start the process, and the software will execute the batch file name cleaning task.
After processing is complete, open the target folder to check the results. If the file names have changed from "number + English name + extension" to "number + extension", this indicates that the batch task of deleting English letters from file names has been successfully completed.
Frequently Asked Questions: What to confirm before batch deleting English letters from file names
1. Will English extensions be accidentally deleted? In the post-processing screenshot for this example, extensions like xlsx, pdf, txt, and docx are still retained, indicating that file types were not damaged. It is still recommended to test with a few sample files first, especially before processing official documents, to confirm the software's processing results match expectations.
2. Will the numerical codes in file names be kept? If "All English Letters" is selected, numbers are not part of the deletion target and will therefore be kept. The processing results in the screenshot also show that numbers like 1, 2, 3, 10, 17, 24 are still present.
3. What if the file name contains Chinese characters? The current rule only targets English letters. If the filename contains Chinese, it generally will not be deleted because "All English Letters" is selected. If you need to delete Chinese characters, you should choose options related to Chinese characters; if you only want to delete content at a specific position, you should choose position range or left/right text-related options according to your actual needs.
4. Is this suitable for mixed-format files? Yes. This function processes file names, not the internal content of documents. Whether it is Word's doc or docx, Excel's xls or xlsx, PDF, or TXT, as long as the file names match the rule for cleaning, they can be placed in the same batch task for processing. However, you should still check the list before processing to avoid including irrelevant files.
5. What if the batch process fails or the results are unsatisfactory? The most reliable method is to back up the original files before processing, or copy them to a test folder for a dry run. Although batch file name processing can save a lot of time, it also means a single rule will apply to many files simultaneously. Developing the habit of testing first and then batch executing can reduce the risk of rework.
Summary: Transforming file name organization from manual deletion to rule-based processing
When file names contain English names, codes, or characters, deleting them one by one is not an efficient office method. With the help of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use the "Delete Text from File Names" function under the "File Name" category, select "All English Letters", and clean English content from multiple file names in one go, while keeping numerical codes and common extensions intact.
For users who frequently handle Word documents, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, TXT texts, and other office materials, this type of batch processing capability can significantly reduce repetitive labor. The next time you face a large volume of files needing standardization, consider gathering the files into a single folder first, then quickly organizing them using the batch delete English letters method. This improves efficiency and makes file archiving more unified and clearer.