Many office files are automatically appended with trailing text such as dates, version numbers, or serial numbers when archived or exported, for example, Report 2024-11-17.docx and Budget Details 2024-04-13.xlsx. This article describes how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch remove a specified number of characters from the rightmost end of file names without renaming them one by one. It applies to PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, and other file types, helping users quickly clean up file names, standardize naming formats, and reduce repetitive operations.
In daily office work, many file names contain fixed-length suffix information, such as dates, serial numbers, batch numbers, version numbers, etc. Manually deleting them from a single file is not troublesome, but if a folder contains dozens or hundreds of PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, or TXT files, and you need to remove the date from the far right of each file name, manual renaming becomes very time-consuming and prone to missed deletions, mistaken deletions, or damaged extensions.
The problem this article aims to solve is clear: batch-delete the rightmost several characters from many file names. For example, batch-process Analysis Results 2025-02-25.pdf into Analysis Results.pdf, and Budget Details 2024-04-13.xlsx into Budget Details.xlsx. The tool used here is the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , which is positioned as a batch processing tool for office files. Its core value lies in reducing repetitive labor, allowing high-frequency operations like file organization, file renaming, and document processing to be completed in one go.
Applicable Scenarios
Batch-deleting text from the right side of file names is particularly suitable for the following types of office scenarios:
- Remove the date from the end of file names: For example, customer profiles, meeting minutes, budget sheets, and project plan file names that are suffixed with dates like 2024-09-23 or 2025-02-25.
- Remove suffixes generated by export systems: Some systems export doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pptx, pdf files and automatically append serial numbers or batch information at the end of the name.
- Unify archiving naming formats: Before archiving, you may want file names to retain only the subject name, removing the last few fixed-length characters to make the directory cleaner.
- Process files with multiple extensions: A single folder may contain PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, TXT, and other file types simultaneously, requiring a one-time, unified process.
The key point of this type of requirement is: what needs to be deleted is a text segment on the right side of the file name, not the extension. During the operation, you need to explicitly specify the number of deletions. For example, in the screenshot example, the text to be deleted is a date, which is 10 characters long.
Effect Preview: Before and After Processing
Before Processing: File Name Ends with a Date
From the before-processing screenshot, you can see that multiple file names have dates appended after the main subject name, such as Analysis Results 2025-02-25.pdf, Budget Details 2024-04-13.xlsx, Client Data 2024-01-15.csv, Report 2024-11-17.docx, etc. The parts highlighted by the red box are the right-side text that needs to be batch-deleted.
These dates are all located before the extension, have the same length, and are all 10 characters. Deleting them one by one is not only inefficient but could also lead to mistakenly deleting extensions like .pdf, .xlsx, .docx, preventing the files from opening normally.
After Processing: Only the File Subject Name and Extension are Retained
In the after-processing screenshot, the original dates have been deleted, while the file extensions are still retained. For example, Analysis Results 2025-02-25.pdf becomes Analysis Results.pdf, Budget Details 2024-04-13.xlsx becomes Budget Details.xlsx, and Task List 2024-07-11.txt becomes Task List.txt.
As you can see, the processing results meet common office archiving needs: the file subject name is more concise, the extension is not damaged, and PDF, Excel, Word, PPT, and text files can still be used in their original formats.
Operating Steps
Step 1: Enter the File Name Tool and Select "Delete Text from File Name"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select File Name in the function category on the left. The right side will display function cards related to file name processing, including find & replace, insert text, add prefix/suffix, case conversion, etc. Here, you need to select the 10th option: Delete Text from File Name.
The purpose of this step is to enter the process flow specifically designed for batch-deleting content from file names. Unlike manual renaming, this function can apply the same rule to multiple file records, making it very suitable for processing a batch of files with similar naming structures.
Step 2: Add the Files to be Processed
After entering the function page, the software will display the process steps: select the records to process, set processing options, set save location, and start processing. First, add files in Step 1. The screenshot shows that there are two buttons at the top of the page: Add File and Import Files from Folder.
If you only want to process a few specific files, you can click Add File; if you want to process a batch of files in a folder, you can use Import Files from Folder. After files are added, the list will display sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and an action column. You can check here to ensure the files are correct, avoiding adding files that do not need renaming into the processing scope.
From the list in the screenshot, you can see that the software has imported pdf, xlsx, csv, pptx, docx, and other file types. This indicates that the operation is not targeted at a single document format but performs batch processing on the file names themselves, which is suitable for mixed organization of office files.
Step 3: Set Deletion Rules, Select "Rightmost N Characters"
After confirming the file list is correct, click Next at the bottom of the page to enter Set Processing Options. In the operation type, select Rightmost N Characters. This option means deleting characters from the right side of the file name subject, based on a specified number.
In the screenshot, the number input box is filled with 10. This is because the date format in the example is yyyy-mm-dd, such as 2025-02-25, which is exactly 10 characters. If the end of your file name is an 8-digit date, such as 20250225, then the number should be filled with 8; if the end is a version number like V1.0, you need to fill it in according to the actual character count.
This step is very critical. Before setting the deletion number, it is recommended to first observe if the file name structure is consistent. If all files end with dates of the same length, you can use this method for quick processing. If the tail text length is inconsistent across different files, you should set the number cautiously to avoid deleting too many or too few characters.
Step 4: Click Next, Set the Save Location According to the Process, and Start Processing
After setting the operation type and number, click Next. According to the process flow at the top of the software page, you will then proceed to Set Save Location and Start Processing. You should follow the interface prompts to complete the save location settings, and then execute the processing.
The advantage of this approach is that the batch renaming task has a clear sequence of steps: first select files, then set rules, then confirm the save location, and finally execute. For office scenarios requiring batch processing of a large number of files, this process can reduce operational errors and makes it convenient to check if the rules meet expectations before execution.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Does it delete the file name or the file content?
This operation targets the file name and will not delete the internal content of Word, Excel, PDF, PPT, and other files. Its function is to batch-modify the text in the file names.
2. Will it delete the file extension?
From the processed results, extensions such as .pdf, .xlsx, .csv, .pptx, .docx, .txt are all retained. During actual operation, it is still recommended to confirm the deletion number before execution, especially ensuring the extension characters are not counted.
3. How should the deletion number be filled in?
The number is the count of characters to be deleted from the rightmost side of the file name. The date 2024-04-13 is 10 characters, 20240413 is 8 characters, and trailing spaces may also count as characters. Before processing, you can spot-check a few file names to confirm the rule consistency.
4. Can different file types be processed together?
Yes. From the screenshot examples, PDF, Excel, CSV, PPT, Word, and TXT files were placed in the same batch task for processing. Since this function processes file names, it is suitable for batch organizing of mixed file types.
Summary
When file names end with dates, serial numbers, or fixed-length text, using the Delete Text from File Name function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool allows you to quickly complete batch cleanup. You just need to import the files, select Rightmost N Characters, fill in the number to delete, and then continue processing according to the process to uniformly rename a large number of files.
Compared to right-clicking and renaming one by one, this batch processing method is more suitable for office archiving, project material organization, customer file cleanup, and standardizing system-exported files. It is recommended to back up important files before processing and confirm the deletion number before execution. This ensures accuracy while significantly improving file organization efficiency.