Batch renaming does not necessarily require regenerating the full file name; often, it only involves replacing certain keywords in the file name according to a list. From the perspective of office file organization, this article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to replace 2024, 12, and Draft in file names with 2025, 05, and Completed respectively, and describes key steps such as importing files, setting exact text search, entering keywords line by line, and processing via a wizard, helping users efficiently organize large volumes of documents.
The more standardized the file naming rules, the more efficient tools are needed for later batch adjustments. For example, a folder contains a batch of documents, all named using a "year_month_file theme_status" structure. When the year, month, or status changes, users only want to modify a few keywords without destroying the file theme name and extension. A typical example is changing 2024_12_Budget_Proposal_Draft.pdf to 2025_05_Budget_Proposal_Completed.pdf, while applying the same rule to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files in the same folder.
The focus of this requirement is not "renaming files," but "finding multiple old keywords in existing file names and replacing them with corresponding new keywords." HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an office software, provides a batch processing function for file names, freeing users from repetitive manual renaming. The following will combine screenshots to fully explain how to complete multi-keyword list matching and replacement.
Applicable Scenarios: Retaining File Themes, Only Replacing Variable Fields
Many office file names consist of fixed fields and variable fields. Fixed fields are usually file themes, such as Budget_Proposal, Financial_Report, Marketing_Strategy, Employee_Handbook; variable fields are typically year, month, version, status, department, project code, etc. Batch replacement of file name keywords is most suitable for handling these variable fields.
For example, the finance department needs to copy last month's report as this month's template, and the month in the file name needs to be uniformly updated; the project manager needs to uniformly mark all Draft files as Completed; administrative staff need to replace old department abbreviations with new department names; operations staff need to uniformly adjust activity periods, years, or version numbers in a batch of materials. In these scenarios, using batch find and replace can avoid renaming the entire file, and also reduce omissions and errors.
Since the example files in this case include extensions such as pdf, docx, pptx, xlsx, this method can cover common office documents. For files like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, as long as the modification target is the text in the file name, the same processing approach can be used.
Effect Preview: Keywords to be Replaced Before Processing are Distributed in Different Positions of the File Name
In the screenshot before processing, all file names contain the three old keywords: 2024, 12, Draft. They are not a continuous segment, but are distributed at the beginning and end of the file name: 2024 indicates the year, 12 indicates the month, and Draft indicates the draft status. The red boxes clearly mark these contents to be replaced.
If modified manually, users need to handle three pieces of content in each file name. Calculated based on 8 files, at least 24 text location and replacement actions are required; if the number of files is expanded to 100, it will become more than 300 repetitive actions. What's more troublesome is that different file formats and name lengths make manual location prone to errors. The advantage of batch processing tools lies in converting these repetitive actions into rule execution.
Effect Preview: The Correspondence List After Processing Has Taken Effect Correctly
The screenshot after processing shows that the old keywords have been replaced according to the preset list: 2024 replaced with 2025, 12 replaced with 05, Draft replaced with Completed. The processed file names still retain the original theme parts, such as Budget_Proposal, Project_Plan, Quarterly_Review, etc., unchanged.
From the results, it can be seen that batch replacement of file name keywords does not require all files to be changed to the same name, but replaces text segments that meet the conditions in each file name. Therefore, different files still maintain their respective theme names, only uniformly updating the fields that need to change. This is very important for batch archiving, material delivery, and version management.
Operation Step 1: Locate the File Name Processing Function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first observe the left navigation bar. In the screenshot, "File Name" is selected on the left, and the right side displays multiple functional modules related to file names. This example needs to process keywords in file names, so "1. Find and replace keywords in file names" should be selected.
The purpose of this step is to ensure entry into the correct batch processing portal. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool displays different office tasks in categories, so users do not need to write commands or scripts, just select the corresponding function. For file name keyword replacement, "Insert text into file names" or "Add prefix and suffix to file names" should not be selected, as those functions are more suitable for adding fixed content rather than replacing existing content with new content.
Operation Step 2: Add Files to be Processed into the Record List
After entering the function, the top of the page displays the current function name "Find and replace keywords in file names". The progress bar shows Step 1 as "Select records to process". Users can manually select files via "Add Files", or batch import files from a folder via "Import files from folder". The screenshot's red box emphasizes these two import entries.
After importing files, the table below lists each record. There are 8 records in the screenshot, with extensions including pdf, docx, pptx, xlsx. The "Name" column in the table helps users confirm whether the file name indeed contains the keywords to be replaced; the "Path" column can confirm the file source location; the "Actions" column can be used to remove records that do not need processing.
Before batch processing, do not rush to skip this step. It is recommended to check three things first: first, whether the number of files matches expectations; second, whether only the files needed for this renaming task have been imported; third, whether the file names indeed contain the old keywords like 2024, 12, Draft. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Operation Step 3: Use Exact Text Find to Create a Keyword Replacement Table
After entering Step 2 "Set processing options", first choose the find method. The screenshot selects "Exact text find", suitable for directly replacing fixed strings. For this example, 2024, 12, Draft are all explicit text, so there is no need to use more complex fuzzy find methods.
Next, enter the old content in the left side "Keywords to find (one per line)": Line 1: 2024, Line 2: 12, Line 3: Draft. Enter the new content in the right side "Replacement keywords (one per line)": Line 1: 2025, Line 2: 05, Line 3: Completed. The line numbers on the left and right sides represent the matching relationship and must not be misaligned.
For example, if the second line on the right is mistakenly written as Completed, then the 12 in the file name will be replaced with Completed, resulting in an output that clearly does not meet expectations. Therefore, during multi-keyword batch replacement, the most important thing is not input speed, but ensuring the order of the find list and the replace list is accurate. After filling in, you can read from top to bottom: 2024 to 2025, 12 to 05, Draft to Completed. Proceed to the next step after confirming they are correct.
The page also displays additional options: "Ignore case of letters" and "Match complete words only (not parts of words)". These options are not checked in the example screenshot, indicating that the processing is handled as a normal exact text replacement. If your file names have a mix of Draft, draft, DRAFT, you can consider the case-related options based on actual needs; if the keyword might appear inside a longer word, the matching scope should be carefully evaluated.
Operation Step 4: Set the Save Location and Execute Batch Processing
After setting the keyword list, click "Next". According to the progress bar at the top of the interface, subsequent steps will enter "Set save location" and "Start processing". Since the provided screenshots do not show the specific content of the save location page, non-existent buttons or options are not described here. During actual operation, simply select the save location according to the software interface prompts.
Before officially starting processing, it is recommended to back up important files, especially when batch renaming a large number of files. The backup is not because the operation is complicated, but because any batch operation has the characteristic of a large impact scope. After confirming the save location and processing rules, enter "Start processing", and the software will automatically perform find and replace on the file names in the imported list. After completion, open the folder to verify the results.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. When replacing multiple keywords, is the order important? Yes, it is important. The interface uses a row-by-row correspondence method between the left and right lists, so each row represents a replacement rule. Avoid misaligned or missing rows when filling in, especially numeric keywords which are more prone to input errors.
2. Can I just delete a specific keyword? Based on the interface prompts, leaving the replacement keyword blank indicates deletion. For example, if Draft is written on the left and the corresponding right row is left blank, it means removing Draft from the file name. However, deletion might leave extra separators, so it is recommended to test with a small number of files first.
3. Is it possible to mistakenly replace the number 12? It is possible. If 12 appears elsewhere in the file name, it might be replaced with 05. Therefore, when setting numeric keywords, check the file name structure first. If more precise control is needed, write keywords carefully based on the actual naming conventions.
4. Will the file content be modified? This document demonstrates the file name keyword replacement under the "File Name" category, targeting the file name text, not the internal content of Word, PDF, Excel, or PPT files. After processing, the focus should be on verifying whether the file names are correct.
5. Is this suitable for a large number of files? It is exactly suitable for a large number of files. The value of batch processing files lies in concentrating repetitive labor into a single rule setup. The more files there are, the more obvious the time saved, and it is also easier to maintain naming conventions.
Summary
The key to replacing multiple keywords in file names at once is to establish a clear "old keyword—new keyword" correspondence table. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , users can first import the files to be processed, then select exact text find, fill in each old keyword and new keyword line by line, and finally follow the wizard to complete the save location settings and start processing. The entire process conforms to the actual operating habits of office personnel, requiring no scripting and no file-by-file modification.
If your folder contains a large number of documents such as docx, doc, pdf, pptx, xlsx, and you need to uniformly replace file name fields like year, month, version number, Draft, Final, Completed, you can directly refer to the steps in this article. First validate the rules with a small number of files, then apply them in batch to the complete folder, so that you can ensure naming accuracy while significantly improving file organization efficiency.