The file access time is an important time field in Windows file attributes, and it often needs to be uniformly adjusted during archiving, sorting, testing, and data delivery. This article takes HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to batch import files such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, txt, md, json, xml, etc., and only enable the access time in the processing options, setting it to a fixed value of 2026-07-01 00:00:00. Through comparison of screenshots before and after processing, users can clearly understand how the software reduces the repetitive work of modifying file attributes one by one.
Many users encounter a problem when organizing files: the creation time, modification time, and access time are inconsistent. Access time, in particular, often becomes non-uniform due to historical migrations, copying, opening, scanning, or system policies. If it's just a few files, manually checking properties might be manageable. However, if a folder contains dozens or even hundreds of Word, Excel, PPT, txt, md, json, and xml files, checking the access time one by one will take up a lot of time, and it's very easy to miss certain files.
This article will focus on the issue of "how to batch modify file access time" and introduce a processing method suitable for office scenarios. The software in the screenshot is " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". It is a batch processing software designed for office files and daily data, emphasizing reducing repetitive work through batch import, unified settings, and wizard-based processing. The following content will elaborate from several aspects, including applicable scenarios, effects before and after processing, specific operation steps, and precautions, to help you complete the operation of batch modifying file system attribute access time.
Applicable Scenarios: Not Just Word, Many Files Can Have Unified Access Time
Access time is a file system attribute, so it does not only exist in Word documents. As long as it's a common file in the Windows file system, it typically has creation time, modification time, and access time. Common files in actual office directories like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, txt, md, json, xml, etc., may all require unified access time.
For example, when administrative or project personnel are organizing historical data, they might want the access time of all delivered files to be unified to a certain archive date. Testers preparing file management system samples need a batch of files with consistent access times to verify sorting logic. Database maintenance personnel, after migrating files, hope to reduce the difficulty of subsequent troubleshooting by fixing the access time. The commonality in these scenarios is a large number of files, mixed formats, and repetitive operations. Therefore, using an office batch processing tool is more suitable than relying on manual, individual operations.
If your goal is to modify the main body of document content, batch replace Word text, or adjust Excel spreadsheet data, you should use document content-type tools. If your goal is the "access time" displayed in the Windows properties window, you should use the file system attribute time modification function introduced in this article.
Effect Preview: The access time of 2.docx was still an old date before modification
In the pre-processing screenshot, you can see a test folder in File Explorer containing files like 1.txt, 2.docx, 3.md, 4.md, 5.xlsx, 6.json, 7.xml, 8.pptx, 9.txt, and 10.docx. The properties window currently open is for 2.docx. In the "General" tab, the "Access time" is marked with a red box. At this point, the access time is displayed as September 6, 2016, 3:01:45.
This interface helps us confirm that the object of this processing is not the document content, nor the file name, but the time field in the Windows file properties. For a single file, users can view the result through the properties window; for multiple files, a batch tool is needed to write the target time uniformly.
Effect Preview: After modification, the access time changed to July 1, 2026, 0:00:00
After the processing is complete, opening the properties window for the same 2.docx again shows that the access time in the red box has changed to July 1, 2026, 0:00:00. Meanwhile, the creation time and modification time in the screenshot remain September 6, 2016, 3:01:45. This indicates that this batch operation only affected the access time and did not change the creation time and modification time along with it.
This type of result is very important for office file organization. Often, creation time and modification time have practical reference value and should not be overwritten; users only wish to adjust the access time. If the batch tool can precisely control according to options, it can reduce the risk of operational errors.
Operating Step 1: Open "Modify Time in File System Attributes" in File Organization
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Organization" in the left navigation bar. In the screenshot, you can see multiple file organization functions under the current category, such as classifying by file name, classifying by extension, and batch creating new folders based on existing folders. For this task, you need to select the 4th function card, "Modify Time in File System Attributes". The card prompt indicates that this function can batch modify the creation time, modification time, and access time in any file's operating system attributes.
Choosing the correct entry point is the first step. Because access time is a system attribute and does not depend on the file extension, do not be misled by categories like Word tools, Excel tools, or PowerPoint tools. Even if the files to be processed are docx, xlsx, pptx, as long as the target is the system attribute time, you should enter the time attribute modification function under File Organization.
Operating Step 2: Import the list of files requiring access time modification
After entering the function, the top of the interface shows the current task name as "Modify Time in File System Attributes" and provides a button to return to the main panel. On the upper right are operation buttons like "Add Files", "Import Files from Folder", "Clear", and "More". For files scattered in different locations, you can select multiple files via "Add Files"; if all files are in the same directory, you can use "Import Files from Folder" to quickly import all files from that folder.
In the screenshot, 10 files have been imported. The table lists information such as file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. Users can quickly check if the files are correct based on these columns. For example, the path for 2.docx is D:\test\2.docx, with the extension docx; 5.xlsx is an Excel spreadsheet; 8.pptx is a PowerPoint file; others include txt, md, json, xml types. The "Summary" area at the bottom shows a record count of 10, indicating the current batch task includes 10 file records.
At this step, it is recommended not to rush to the next step, but to verify the file scope first. If there are files in the list you don't want to process, you can use the delete icon on the right side of each row to remove them. The purpose of this is to ensure that the subsequent batch modification only affects the target files and avoids impacting unrelated data.
Operating Step 3: Turn off creation time and modification time, only enable access time
Click "Next" to enter the "Set Processing Options". The progress bar at the top of the interface shows the first step is complete, and you are currently on the second step. There are three time switches on the page: creation time, modification time, and access time. Since this tutorial only demonstrates batch modification of file access time, ensure that creation time and modification time are not enabled, and only turn on the access time switch.
In the screenshot, the access time switch is enabled, while the creation time and modification time switches are off. This setting is very important because it determines which system attributes the software will ultimately modify. Many users worry about accidentally changing other time fields during batch file processing; in fact, as long as you make a clear selection on this page, you can limit the processing scope to the access time.
Below the access time, you can see the type setting, including "Fixed Time" and "Random Time". This article selects "Fixed Time" and inputs the time as 2026-07-01 00:00:00. Fixed time means that all selected files in this batch will be written with the same access time, suitable for scenarios like archiving, delivery, and unified sorting. After setting, double-check that the date, hours, minutes, and seconds meet expectations.
Operating Step 4: Continue following the wizard to complete saving location and start processing
After setting the processing options, click "Next" at the bottom. From the progress bar, you can see that the subsequent steps are "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". Although the screenshots focus on the first two steps, the interface clearly indicates that this function uses a wizard-style process. Users only need to follow the interface prompts to complete the subsequent steps, and confirm the file list and time settings before starting processing.
Since this process involves system attribute time, it is recommended to copy a small number of sample files for testing before formally processing important data. After the test is successful, then perform the batch operation on the complete folder. For office scenarios, this method of verifying first and then batch processing can balance efficiency and safety.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. What is the difference between access time and modification time? Modification time usually indicates the time when the file content was last modified, while access time indicates the time when the file was last accessed. This article only modifies the access time, which is not equivalent to modifying the file content.
2. Why is there a yellow prompt in the screenshot? The software prompts that because the operating system does not update file access time in real-time and may be affected by antivirus software or other applications, access time modification might fail. Therefore, the actual effect after processing should be taken as the standard, and it is recommended to spot-check file properties.
3. Which extensions are supported for batch access time modification? From the example list, txt, docx, md, xlsx, json, xml, pptx, etc., can all be placed in the same batch. This is because what's being processed here is the file system attribute, not the content of a specific format document.
4. Do I need to open the file to modify the access time? There is no need to open documents one by one. The software completes the operation by batch importing the file list and setting processing options; this is where a batch processing tool saves time.
5. What if I only want to unify the access time of docx files? You can select only docx files during the file import process, or after importing, check the file extensions in the list and remove other files you don't need to process. The table in the screenshot lists the extensions for easy verification.
Summary: Batch Modifying Access Time for More Efficient File Archiving and Test Preparation
Batch modifying file access time is not complicated. The key is choosing the right tool and the correct time item. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can enter "Modify Time in File System Attributes" under the File Organization category, import the files to be processed, verify the file list, then only enable access time and set a fixed time. After processing, the access time in the file properties will be updated to the target value.
If you need to organize Word, Excel, PPT, txt, md, json, xml, and other multi-type files simultaneously, it is no longer recommended to open the properties windows one by one for confirmation and processing. Following the steps in this article to test first, then execute in batch, can significantly reduce repetitive work and improve the efficiency of file management and data archiving.