Many office files are named with a mix of Chinese and English during circulation, such as Alpha报告.docx, Finance账本.xls, Project备份.pdf. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to demonstrate the method for removing Chinese from file names: enter the file name classification, select delete text in file names, import the files to be processed, choose all Chinese characters in the operation type, then continue by setting the save location and start processing. This is suitable for batch standardizing file names such as doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, etc.
When organizing materials, submitting project documents, or bulk uploading attachments, whether file names are standardized directly affects subsequent retrieval, archiving, and system recognition. To facilitate understanding during creation, many files are named in a mixed format of Chinese and English, such as AlphaReport.docx, ExportBatch.xlsx, ProjectBackup.pdf, MeetingNotes.txt. However, when it comes to external delivery, system import, cross-language collaboration, or unified archiving, it is often necessary to remove the Chinese characters, leaving only English, numbers, and the file extension.
If the number of files is small, removing Chinese manually might seem doable; but when a folder contains dozens of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, images, and text files, renaming them one by one is not only slow but also prone to accidentally deleting English text or extensions. This article, combined with screenshots, explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch remove Chinese characters from file names, quickly standardizing the names of office files like docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pptx, ppt, and pdf.
Applicable Scenarios: Which Office Tasks Suit Removing Chinese from File Names
Removing Chinese from file names is not just about "beautifying names"; it is very practical in many office workflows. The first scenario is external delivery. For instance, when sending files to clients, suppliers, or overseas teams, the recipients might be more accustomed to English file names, or their systems might not easily recognize Chinese. Changing AlphaReport.docx to Alpha.docx retains the core English identifier while reducing communication costs.
The second scenario is system uploads. Some business systems, archive systems, interface programs, and batch scripts have unstable support for Chinese paths or Chinese file names. Chinese characters in file names can cause upload failures, garbled characters, or download issues. Proactively batch-removing Chinese beforehand can reduce time spent on troubleshooting later.
The third scenario is material archiving. Project folders often contain a mix of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, image, CSV data tables, etc. If the naming conventions are inconsistent, subsequent retrieval becomes very troublesome. After uniformly removing the Chinese, file names become more suitable for continued management by English project codes, dates, and version numbers.
The fourth scenario is batch data processing. For example, if a batch of attachments needs to be read by a program, or file names are imported into a spreadsheet for matching, mixed Chinese-English names can increase processing difficulty. Keeping only the English main body and extension often makes automated workflows easier to use. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , as office software, focuses on helping users batch process files and reduce such repetitive, mechanical renaming operations.
Effect Preview: Mixed Chinese-English Naming Before Processing
Let's first look at the folder before processing. The screenshot contains 10 files covering formats like docx, doc, pptx, ppt, xlsx, xls, jpg, txt, pdf, csv. The common feature of the file names is an English main body followed by a Chinese description, for example, AlphaReport, BetaRecord, ClientArchive, DesignDraft, ExportBatch, FinanceLedger, HolidayPhoto, MeetingNotes, ProjectBackup, TempFile.
This naming convention makes it easy to understand the file's meaning during internal use, but for English standardization, system import, or unified archiving, the Chinese parts need to be removed. What makes it more troublesome is that the Chinese in each file is different, so you can't just delete one fixed word. Manual processing would require deleting words like "Report," "Record," "Archive," "Draft," etc., one by one, leading to very low efficiency.
Effect Preview: Retaining English File Name and Original Extension After Processing
After processing, all Chinese characters in the file names have been removed, resulting in Alpha.docx, Beta.doc, Client.pptx, Design.ppt, Export.xlsx, Finance.xls, Holiday.jpg, Meeting.txt, Project.pdf, Temp.csv. As can be seen, the English main body is preserved, and the extensions remain unchanged.
This shows the batch processing target is very precise: only clean Chinese characters from the file name, without changing the file type. For office workers, this is an important point. Because what we need is "batch renaming," not format conversion or modifying document content. After processing, the files can still be opened with the corresponding software, for example, docx with Word, xlsx with Excel, pptx with PowerPoint, and pdf with a PDF reader.
Operation Step 1: Find the Delete Text Feature in the File Name Category
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first observe the left navigation. The interface provides categories like Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organizing, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. Since the task this time is to process file names, you should enter the "File Name" category.
In the File Name function area, select "Delete Text in File Names." In the screenshot, this function is displayed as item 10, with the description "Batch delete text in file names." This perfectly matches the requirement of this article to remove Chinese from file names.
The purpose of this step is to ensure you use the correct tool entry point. If you enter Word Tools or Excel Tools, those usually deal with document content or spreadsheet-related tasks; since we want to delete Chinese characters from file names, we should use the File Name category functions. After selecting the correct entry, subsequent operations will revolve around file names.
Operation Step 2: Import Files for Chinese Removal
After entering the "Delete Text in File Names" page, the process starts from "Select records to process." In the upper right corner of the interface, you can see action buttons like "Add Files," "Import Files from Folder," "Clear," and "More." Users can choose the import method based on file storage: if processing only some files, you can add files; if processing all files in a folder, you can import from the folder.
After importing files, the software will display detailed information in the list, including sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and actions. In the screenshot, 10 records are imported, with paths all under D:\test. The Name column displays the original file names, and the Extension column shows docx, doc, pptx, ppt, xlsx, xls, jpg, txt, pdf, csv.
At this step, it's recommended to check three things closely. First, if the record count is correct – the summary at the bottom of the screenshot shows a record count of 10. Second, if it only includes files that need processing, avoiding importing files you don’t want to rename. Third, if the extensions display normally, confirming the software recognized the file types. After verification, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing rules settings.
Operation Step 3: Select All Chinese Characters as Deletion Target
The second step is "Set Processing Options." This determines what content the software will delete from the file names. The screenshot shows multiple operation types, including All Digits, All Whitespace, Last few Text Characters, All Content Between Two Texts, All Chinese Characters, All Content, All Content to the Left of a Text, Position Range, All English Letters, First Few Text Characters, All Content to the Right of a Text, etc.
To achieve "batch remove Chinese characters from file names," you should select "All Chinese Characters." In the screenshot, "All Chinese Characters" is already selected, and a red arrow points to this location.
The advantage of choosing "All Chinese Characters" is that you don't need to know the specific Chinese words in each file beforehand. The software processes the Chinese characters in the file names by character type, so "Report" in AlphaReport.docx, "Archive" in ClientArchive.pptx, "Ledger" in FinanceLedger.xls, and "File" in TempFile.csv will all be deleted. For batch processing a large number of mixed-naming files, this is more efficient than finding and replacing word by word.
It's important to note not to mistakenly select "All Content." If you choose All Content, the main file name body might also be deleted, failing the goal of removing only Chinese. Also, do not select "All English Letters," as that would keep the Chinese and delete the English, the opposite of this requirement. After confirming "All Chinese Characters," proceed by clicking "Next."
Operation Step 4: Set Save Location and Execute Batch Processing
As seen in the progress bar at the top of the interface, after setting the processing options, there are "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing." For this type of batch renaming operation, it's recommended to proceed with caution, especially when the number of files is large or the files are important. It's best to prepare a backup or test with a small sample first.
When setting the save location, follow the page prompts to choose an appropriate saving method or target location. After setting, proceed to "Start Processing" to execute the batch operation for deleting Chinese characters from file names. Once processing is complete, you can open the corresponding folder to check the results and confirm whether the file names have changed from a Chinese-English mix to a pure English main body plus extension.
If you are processing official project materials, it's recommended to spot-check several file types after processing: docx/doc for Word, xlsx/xls for Excel, pptx/ppt for PPT, PDF, images, text, and CSV. Confirm that these files not only have the correct names but can also be opened normally. This ensures the batch renaming results meet office delivery requirements.
FAQ: What's Easy to Overlook When Batch Deleting Chinese from File Names
Question 1: Will the extension be deleted? Looking at the example results, the extensions were not deleted. AlphaReport.docx became Alpha.docx after processing, and ExportBatch.xlsx became Export.xlsx. This means only the Chinese characters in the file name were deleted, while the file format was retained.
Question 2: Can files in multiple formats be processed? Yes. The processing list in the screenshot includes various files like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, images, text, CSV, etc. Since this function targets file names and does not rely on file content format, it is suitable for tidying mixed folders.
Question 3: Will it be affected if there are no spaces between English and Chinese? It does not affect the processing results in the example. AlphaReport, BetaRecord, ClientArchive are all cases where English and Chinese are directly connected. Selecting "All Chinese Characters" still removed the Chinese and retained the English.
Question 4: Do files need to be closed before processing? For batch renaming, it's generally recommended to close any open files first to avoid failures caused by file occupation. Especially for Word, Excel, and PPT files, if they are being edited, you should save and close them before executing the batch process.
Question 5: What if the file name only has an extension left? If some original file names consist entirely of Chinese, removing all Chinese characters might leave no usable main body. To avoid this situation, you can check the file list before processing and, if necessary, add an English identifier or project code to these files first.
Summary: Batch Removing Chinese from File Names Makes Archiving More Standardized
Removing Chinese from file names seems like a small task, but it consumes a lot of time when organizing numerous office files. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use the "Delete Text in File Names" feature to quickly batch remove Chinese characters from file names of docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pptx, ppt, pdf, jpg, txt, csv, etc.
The entire process is not complicated: enter the File Name category, select Delete Text in File Names, import files, choose "All Chinese Characters," set the save location, and start processing. Compared to manual renaming one by one, this method is more stable, more time-saving, and more suitable for team material archiving and batch delivery. It is recommended to test with a few files before formal processing, and then apply the batch operation to the entire folder after confirming the results.