Adding a date at the end of a file name is a common naming convention for office documents. However, when consolidating, archiving, sending to clients, or generating a catalog, long date suffixes can hinder unified management. This article uses files such as PDF, docx, xlsx, pptx, csv, and txt as examples to explain how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete the 10 rightmost characters of file names, thereby removing dates in the yyyy-mm-dd format while preserving file extensions, allowing various types of office files to be quickly standardized.
Many enterprises, when exporting reports, downloading meeting materials, or organizing project files, end up with a batch of files carrying date suffixes, such as Invoice 2024-08-05.pdf, Report 2024-11-17.docx, Project Plan 2024-09-23.xlsx. The date itself can be useful at times, but for final archiving, creating file lists, or sending externally, users may only want to keep the core topic name, not dragging a string of dates on every filename.
If there are only a few files, manually deleting the dates is acceptable; but if a folder contains a large number of PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, or TXT files, renaming them one by one becomes repetitive work. This article introduces a method better suited for office scenarios: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , with the "Delete Text in File Names" feature, to batch-remove date suffixes from filenames—that is, to delete the rightmost characters in the file name.
Applicable Scenarios
The method in this article is suitable for cases where the text length at the end of filenames is relatively fixed, especially date-type suffixes:
- yyyy-mm-dd dates: For example, 2025-02-25, 2024-04-13, with a length of 10 characters.
- System export dates: Many business systems automatically append the export time to the end of filenames for traceability, but this is not conducive to uniform display.
- Mixed office file organization: When pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, csv, txt, and other file types coexist in the same directory and need to be renamed by the same rule.
- Delivery material cleanup: Before delivering files to clients or colleagues, keep only core names like Analysis Results, Budget Details, Client Data.
It is important to note that this article is about deleting a specified number of characters from the rightmost side of the filename, not finding and replacing a specific date. Therefore, it is especially suitable for file lists with a uniform tail text format.
Effect Preview: From Dated to Clean File Names
Before Processing: Each Filename Ends with a Date
In the file list before processing, the parts marked by the red box are the date suffixes to be deleted. As you can see, these file types are not all the same; they include PDF, xlsx, csv, pptx, docx, txt, etc., but the dates are all positioned before the extension.
For example, in Analysis Results 2025-02-25.pdf, "2025-02-25" is the part to delete; in Budget Details 2024-04-13.xlsx, "2024-04-13" is the part to delete. Since these dates have the same length, you can uniformly set the deletion count to 10.
After Processing: Dates Removed, Extensions Retained
After processing, the dates in the filenames have disappeared, but the extensions remain. Analysis Results 2025-02-25.pdf becomes Analysis Results.pdf, Report 2024-11-17.docx becomes Report.docx, and Task List 2024-07-11.txt becomes Task List.txt.
This is precisely the most common goal in batch file name cleanup: deleting unnecessary trailing information without affecting the file format and how it opens.
Operation Steps
Step 1: Find the Delete Text Feature in the File Name Category
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select File Name in the left navigation bar. This category centrally houses tools related to batch file name processing, such as finding and replacing keywords in filenames, inserting text into filenames, adding prefixes and suffixes, and converting file name case.
This time, you need to click Delete Text in File Names. As you can see from the screenshot, its description is "Batch delete text in file names," which meets the need for batch removal of date suffixes. After selecting this entry, the software will lead you to a dedicated wizard-style processing page.
Step 2: Import the List of Files to Process
After entering the feature page, first complete "Select records to process." The upper right corner of the page offers two entry points: Add Files and Import Files from Folder. If the files are all stored in one folder, importing from a folder is more convenient; if you only need to process some files, you can use Add Files to select them manually.
After file import, the software will display information such as name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time in a list. This list is very important; it acts as a pre-execution checklist. Users are advised to confirm three things here: first, whether all files have been imported; second, whether any files that should not be processed have been mixed in; third, whether the date suffixes at the end of the filenames follow a consistent length rule.
If a record is found that should not be processed, you can handle it via the operation column on the right side of the list; if imported incorrectly, you can use the Clear button above to reselect. These buttons are all visible in the screenshot and are suitable for organizing the task scope before execution.
Step 3: Select the Rightmost Characters and Enter the Count
After confirming the file list, click Next at the bottom to enter "Set Processing Options." In the operation type, select Rightmost Characters. This option means: starting from the right side of the file name, delete a specified number of characters.
In the example, what needs to be deleted is a date in the yyyy-mm-dd format, such as 2024-08-05. This format includes a 4-digit year, 2 hyphens, a 2-digit month, and a 2-digit day, for a total of 10 characters, so you would enter the number 10. After filling it in, continue by clicking Next.
If your filename suffix is not a date but other fixed-length text, you can handle it with the same approach. For example, if it ends with -001, you need to delete 4 characters; if it ends with _v2, delete 3 characters; if it ends with 20240711, delete 8 characters. The key is to first count clearly the number of characters to delete.
Step 4: Set Save Location and Start Processing
The top workflow of the software shows that after setting processing options, there are still Set Save Location and Start Processing. Therefore, after completing the deletion rule setup, you should continue to the next step as prompted on the page, set the save location for the processed files, and then execute batch processing.
This step-by-step process is well-suited for batch tasks in office software: first determine the object, then the rule, then the save method, and finally execute. It helps users confirm multiple times before batch-renaming files, reducing the risk when processing a large number of files at once.
Common Questions or Precautions
Will spaces in filenames affect processing?
Spaces in filenames are typically part of the filename. In the example, after deleting the date, there might have originally been a space after the main body name. The actual effect will depend on the filename structure. It is recommended to observe before processing whether there is a space before the date; if you wish to delete the space together with the date, you need to include the space in the count.
Can I batch-process docx, xlsx, pptx, and pdf files?
Yes. This feature processes the file name and does not depend on the specific document content. The screenshot example already includes extensions like pdf, xlsx, csv, pptx, docx, txt, making it suitable for unified naming of multiple office file types.
What if the date lengths at the end of filenames are inconsistent?
If some files have 2024-07-11 and others have 20240711, their lengths are different, and it is not recommended to use a single count to process all files directly. You can batch-process them in groups based on naming rules, or first organize them into a uniform format before performing a batch deletion.
Do I need a backup before processing?
When batch renaming is involved, it is recommended to back up important files first, or test the rule with a small number of files. Only after confirming that the deletion count and results are correct should you proceed to process the entire folder.
Summary
Batch-removing date suffixes from filenames is essentially a high-frequency but repetitive office file organization task. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use the "Delete Text in File Names" feature to turn what would otherwise be a one-by-one renaming operation into a one-time rule-based process.
For yyyy-mm-dd date suffixes, simply select Rightmost Characters, enter the number 10, continue through the workflow to set the save location and start processing, and you can quickly clean up filenames of PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, etc. It is recommended to now gather the files you need to organize into a single folder, follow the steps in this article to import them first, set the rules, and finally execute, making your file archiving more standardized and efficient.