When a folder contains multiple document types such as PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint at the same time, and there are multiple parts in the file names like year, month, and status that need to be uniformly modified, manually renaming them one by one can easily lead to omissions or errors. This article uses replacing 2024, 12, and Draft in file names with 2025, 05, and Completed respectively as an example to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch replace multiple keywords in the same task, quickly completing the unified organization of file names such as doc, docx, pdf, pptx, and xlsx.
In daily office work, file names often change with project phases, months, and version statuses. For example, a batch of reports originally named 2024_12_xxx_Draft needs to be uniformly changed to 2025_05_xxx_Completed during the archiving or delivery stage. If there are only one or two files, manual modification is acceptable; but if a folder contains dozens or even hundreds of PDF, Word, Excel, and PPT files, renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to issues like forgetting to change the year, getting the month wrong, or not completely replacing "Draft."
This article addresses the problem of "batch replacing multiple keyword lists in many file names." Using the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can enter multiple items to find line by line, and then enter the corresponding new content line by line, achieving one-to-one batch replacement. For example, replace 2024 in the file name with 2025, replace 12 with 05, and replace Draft with Completed, processing multiple file formats at once. This is suitable for scenarios like office document archiving, project file version updates, and financial statement month adjustments.
Applicable Scenarios: Which file names are suitable for batch replacement using keyword lists
This kind of batch renaming requirement usually has a common characteristic: the overall structure of the file name does not need to be completely rewritten, only a few fixed fragments need to be replaced with new content. Examples include changing the year from 2024 to 2025, the month from 12 to 05, and the status from Draft to Completed. In these cases, using keyword find and replace is safer and more aligned with actual office habits than regenerating an entirely new set of file names.
Common scenarios include: uniformly changing "Draft," "Preliminary Version," etc., in file names to "Formal Version" or "Completed" during project delivery; changing 2024_12 in file names to 2025_05 when archiving monthly reports; replacing old department abbreviations with new ones when organizing departmental materials; and uniformly batch-updating version identifiers for contracts, budgets, product designs, employee handbooks, and other files. Since the examples in the screenshots include extensions like pdf, docx, pptx, and xlsx, this method is not only applicable to PDF files but also to common office documents such as Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is positioned as office software, and its core value is not to make users learn complex scripts, but to turn high-frequency, repetitive, and error-prone file processing operations into a visual flow. For administrative, financial, project management, operations, and HR positions that frequently handle large volumes of documents, batch replacing file name keywords can significantly reduce mechanical labor.
Preview of Results: File names before processing contain the old year, month, and "Draft"
From the screenshot before processing, you can see that the file names in the folder have a unified naming structure, such as 2024_12_Budget_Proposal_Draft.pdf, 2024_12_Financial_Report_Draft.docx, 2024_12_Marketing_Strategy_Draft.pptx, and 2024_12_Marketing_Strategy_Draft.xlsx. The red boxes mark the keywords that need to be replaced: 2024, 12, and Draft.
If processed manually, you would need to open the folder, select a file, enter rename mode, locate the year and month, and then change Draft to Completed. This action would need to be repeated for each file, and the more files there are, the more prone it is to inconsistencies. For example, some files might have only the year changed without the month; some might have "Draft" misspelled in the correction; others might have underscores accidentally deleted, disrupting the naming convention. The purpose of batch replacement is to complete these patterned modifications automatically within a single set of rules.
Preview of Results: Multiple keywords replaced correspondingly according to the list after processing
The screenshot after processing shows that the original 2024 has become 2025, the original 12 has become 05, and the original Draft has become Completed. The main body of the file names remains unchanged; for instance, content like Budget_Proposal, Employee_Handbook, Financial_Report, and Marketing_Strategy is not damaged, and file extensions like pdf, docx, pptx, xlsx are also retained.
This result indicates that the operation does not overwrite the file names entirely with the same name but replaces only the specified keywords within them. This method is more reliable for office files where you need to retain the original file subject and only update the date and status. Especially for project files, contract documents, budget plans, and meeting materials, file names often carry a lot of information. Batch replacing keywords allows for a unified update while preserving the original structure.
Step 1: Enter the file name tool and select the find and replace function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Name" in the tool category on the left. The right side will display multiple function cards related to file name processing, such as inserting text into file names, adding prefixes and suffixes, adding parent folder names, etc. To achieve the goal of batch finding and replacing keywords in file names for this example, select the first function, "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names."
The purpose of this step is to enter the processing workflow specifically for replacing keywords in file names. After selecting the correct function, subsequent operations will center around the steps: "import files to process," "set find and replace content," "set save location," and "start processing." For first-time users, it is recommended to confirm that the left side is indeed under the "File Name" category before clicking the corresponding function to avoid entering tools for folder names or other document content processing.
Step 2: Add files or import files from a folder
After entering the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" interface, you are first at Step 1, "Select records to process." At the top of the interface, you can see "Add File" and "Import Files from Folder" buttons. If processing only a few specific files, use "Add File"; if a batch of files in a folder needs to be uniformly renamed, use "Import Files from Folder." The screenshot shows that 8 records have been imported, and the list displays the serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and an operation column.
The expected result of this step is for all the files intended for processing to appear in the software list. Users can check the file name and path in the list to confirm whether it includes the documents for which keywords need batch replacement. If files that do not need processing are imported by mistake, single records can be deleted using the operation column in the interface; if reselection is needed, you can also use "Clear" and then re-add. After confirming the file list is correct, click "Next" at the bottom to go to the processing options setup.
Step 3: Set the search method and multiple keyword correspondences
In Step 2, "Set Processing Options," the interface provides the "Search Method." In the screenshot, "Exact Text Search" is selected, which is suitable for this case where you know exactly which fixed text to replace, such as 2024, 12, Draft. The interface also shows the "Use formula for fuzzy text search" option, but complex rules are not needed for this example, so choosing exact search is appropriate.
The key settings are located in the two text lists below. The left side is "Keywords to find (one per line)," and the right side is "Keywords for replacement (one per line)." It is important to note here that the left and right sides correspond by line. That is, the first line on the left, 2024, corresponds to the first line on the right, 2025; the second line on the left, 12, corresponds to the second line on the right, 05; the third line on the left, Draft, corresponds to the third line on the right, Completed. Once set, the software will look for these keywords in the file names sequentially and replace them with the corresponding new content.
This "one per line" design is very suitable for processing lists of multiple keywords. Users do not need to perform a separate task for each keyword or re-import files repeatedly. As long as the old content and new content are filled in sequentially, multiple replacements can be completed simultaneously in a single task. The screenshot also notes that "leaving a keyword for replacement (one per line) empty means deletion," so if an old keyword does not need to be replaced with new text but should be removed from the file name, the corresponding line can remain empty. However, to avoid accidental deletion, it is recommended to carefully check each line's correspondence before formal processing.
Step 4: Set the save location and start processing
After completing the keyword settings, click "Next." Following the interface workflow, it will then proceed to Step 3, "Set Save Location," and then Step 4, "Start Processing." The screenshot does not show the specific options on the save location page, so refer to the software interface prompts during actual operation. The core purpose here is to confirm where the processed file names will be saved and whether new naming results can be generated safely.
For important files, it is recommended to back up the original folder before batch processing or to select an easy-to-check directory when setting the save location. This way, even if the keyword entry sequence is incorrect, you can quickly revert to the original files for reprocessing. After confirming the save location, proceed to "Start Processing." The software will execute the batch rename according to the previously imported file list and the set replacement rules. After processing is complete, check the results in the folder; you should see 2024, 12, and Draft replaced by 2025, 05, and Completed, respectively.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Why ensure the left and right sides have the same number of lines? Because each line represents a pair of replacement relationships. The content of the nth line on the left will be replaced with the content of the nth line on the right. If the left side has 2024, 12, Draft, but the right side only has 2025, 05, then the third line, Draft, might lack corresponding new content, easily leading to unexpected results. Therefore, check line by line after filling it out.
2. Will "12" replace text in unintended places? When using "Exact Text Search," any identical text appearing in the file name may be matched. Therefore, if the number 12 also appears elsewhere in the file name, confirm whether those positions should also be changed to 05. For date-based file names, it is recommended to plan using segments with delimiters, for example, considering the replacement scope with structures like 2024_12.
3. Will the file extension be modified? Judging by the example results, this replacement mainly occurs in the main body of the file name, with extensions like pdf, docx, pptx, xlsx remaining unchanged. In practice, you should also avoid using characters in the extension as replacement keywords to prevent affecting file type identification.
4. Is it possible to delete a keyword? The interface note states, "Leaving a keyword for replacement empty means deletion." If you want to delete a fixed word from a file name, you can enter the keyword to delete on the left and leave the corresponding line empty on the right. However, deletion operations carry a higher risk, so it is recommended to test with a small sample first.
Summary
Batch replacing multiple keywords in file names essentially involves uniformly updating variable fields like year, month, version, and status while preserving the original subject information of the files. With the help of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , users can consolidate the renaming operation, which previously required repetitive manual action file by file, into a set of clear find-and-replace rules applied to various office files like PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all at once.
If you are organizing project materials, monthly reports, deliverable files, or archived documents, and there are multiple keywords in the file names that need uniform replacement, it is recommended to follow the steps in this article: first enter "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" under "File Name," then import the files, fill in the old and new keywords line by line, and finally, set the save location and start processing. This can significantly reduce repetitive labor, improve file organization efficiency, and make team document naming more standardized and uniform.