Many office files use the same naming templates across different stages, for example, 2024_12_ProjectName_Draft. When materials enter a new month or reach a completed status, multiple terms such as year, month, and draft identifier need to be updated simultaneously. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to explain how to import PDF, docx, pptx, xlsx, and other files, and use the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" feature to perform batch replacement of multiple keyword groups, helping users quickly standardize file naming.
A file name may seem like a minor detail, but it plays a critical role in team collaboration, project archiving, and data retrieval. A standardized file name allows people to quickly identify which year, month, project, and status a file belongs to. Conversely, if a batch of files includes names like 2024_12, some 2025_05, some with Draft, and some with Completed, subsequent searching, filtering, and delivery will become chaotic.
In actual office work, a common scenario is this: files from the previous phase have already been organized, with names uniformly containing 2024, 12, and Draft. Now, to move to a new delivery version, they need to be changed to 2025, 05, and Completed. There is often more than one file type involved—possibly including PDFs, Word documents (docx or doc), PowerPoint presentations (pptx), and Excel spreadsheets (xlsx). Modifying files individually is not only slow but also prone to omissions. This article will use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to introduce how to use office software to batch find and replace multiple keywords in file names.
Applicable Scenario: Batch Modifying Year, Month, and Version Status in File Names
Batch find and replace is very suitable when file names follow a fixed naming template. For instance, a file name like 2024_12_Budget_Proposal_Draft.pdf can be broken down into several parts: year, month, file subject, status, and extension. If only the year, month, and status need to be changed, there is no need to re-enter the entire file name; simply replacing the specified keywords will suffice.
This method is commonly used for updating monthly reports, organizing project delivery materials, archiving budget proposals, updating employee handbook versions, organizing market strategy documents, archiving product design documents, and changing the status of project plans. As long as file names contain identifiable old keywords, new naming results can be generated through batch replacement.
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is positioned as a batch document processing office software, focusing on helping users batch process files, reduce repetitive operations, and improve organization efficiency. Compared to manual renaming, it is better suited for handling a large number of office files with clear rules and across various formats.
Effect Preview: File Names Before Replacement Still Use Old Version Naming
In the file list before processing, multiple file names start with 2024_12 and end with Draft. The file subjects vary, including Budget_Proposal, Financial_Report, Marketing_Strategy, Product_Design, Employee_Handbook, Project_Plan, Quarterly_Review, etc.; file formats are also not entirely uniform, including pdf, docx, pptx, and xlsx.
If these files were to be modified manually, the same action would need to be repeated for each file: changing 2024 to 2025, 12 to 05, and Draft to Completed. The more repetitions, the higher the probability of error. Especially when file names contain underscores, English words, and extensions, it is easy to accidentally delete separators or inadvertently modify the extension during manual editing.
Effect Preview: File Names After Replacement Unified to New Version Naming
The screenshot after processing shows that the file names have been changed to the structure 2025_05_Subject_Completed. For example, Budget_Proposal_Draft was replaced with Budget_Proposal_Completed, and Financial_Report_Draft was replaced with Financial_Report_Completed. The year and month were also updated synchronously, forming a unified file naming rule.
From the results, it can be seen that the batch replacement operation did not change the file formats; the extensions remain pdf, docx, pptx, and xlsx. For office files, this is a very important expected outcome: we only modified text fragments within the file names, without changing the file type itself or rewriting the document content.
Operation Step 1: Open the File Name Feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool
After launching the software, enter the "File Name" category from the left navigation bar. In the screenshot, the software name is " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". The interface uses a tool categorization approach, separating File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, and Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, Text, Image tools, making it convenient for users to select by task type.
Under the File Name category, click "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names". This feature card clearly states "Batch find and replace keywords in the file names of files", suitable for the multi-file, multi-keyword batch renaming needs described in this article.
The purpose of selecting this feature is to enter the dedicated batch file name replacement process. Unlike the system's built-in single file renaming, the software first allows users to import files, then configure replacement rules, and finally execute them uniformly, thereby reducing repetitive clicks and input.
Operation Step 2: Import Files to be Processed and Verify the List
After entering the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" page, you are first at Step 1 "Select records to process". On the top right of the page, there are "Add File" and "Import Files from Folder" buttons. The former is suitable for selecting some files from different locations, while the latter is suitable for importing all data within a specific folder at once.
After files are imported, they appear in the table below. The table lists information such as Name, Path, Extension, Creation Time, and Modification Time. In the example, 8 records are imported, including multiple PDF files, Word docx files, PowerPoint pptx files, and Excel xlsx files. Through these fields, users can confirm whether the files come from the correct directory and whether they include all objects intended for batch renaming.
At this step, do not rush to click the next step; it is recommended to check the file list first. If a file is found unnecessary to process, it can be removed via the delete icon in the operation column. If the current list is incorrect, the "Clear" button on the page can also be used to start over. The efficiency of batch processing is very high, so confirming the scope beforehand is more important to avoid renaming irrelevant files together.
Operation Step 3: Select Exact Text Find and Build the Replacement List
After confirming the files are correct, click the "Next Step" button at the bottom to enter Step 2 "Set processing options". For the find method, the screenshot shows that "Exact Text Find" is selected. This indicates the software will match based on the specific text entered by the user, suitable for replacing clear items like years, months, status words, client names, project codes, etc.
There are two main input boxes on the page. The left one is for "Keywords to find (one per line)", and the right one is for "Replacement keywords (one per line)". The example filling method is as follows: enter 2024 in the first line on the left, and 2025 on the right; enter 12 in the second line on the left, and 05 on the right; enter Draft in the third line on the left, and Completed on the right.
Pay special attention here to "one per line" and "line-by-line correspondence". Batch replacement does not merge all content on the left into one word, nor randomly replace with content on the right. Instead, the 1st line corresponds to the 1st line, the 2nd line to the 2nd line, and the 3rd line to the 3rd line. As long as the correspondence is correctly set, the software can complete multiple sets of keyword replacements at once.
Operation Step 4: Understand Additional Options to Avoid Incorrect Replacement
On the processing options page, additional options like "Ignore letter case" and "Match complete word rather than part of a word" can also be seen. They are not mandatory for every use but are very valuable when certain file names are more complex.
If there might be inconsistent casing for Draft, such as draft, DRAFT, and you want them all replaced with Completed, you can pay attention to "Ignore letter case". If a keyword might appear inside other words, for instance, an abbreviation being part of a longer word, careful judgment is needed on whether to use "Match complete word rather than part of a word". The keywords 2024, 12, and Draft in this article's example are all very clear text fragments, so using Exact Find can clearly accomplish the task.
After completing the replacement list, continue clicking "Next Step". According to the process flow at the top of the page, the subsequent steps lead to "Set save location" and "Start processing". Since the screenshots do not show specific details of the save location page, follow the software interface prompts for confirmation during actual operation. Before finally starting the processing, it is recommended to re-check the replacement list for any misalignment, blank lines, or spelling errors.
Frequently Asked Questions: What to Note When Batch Replacing File Names
Question 1: Can files of different formats be processed simultaneously? As seen from the example, the list contains pdf, docx, pptx, and xlsx files simultaneously. This function processes the text in file names, so as long as files are imported and meet the replacement rules, their file name keywords can be uniformly replaced. It does not require separate operations based on file type differences.
Question 2: Can the replacement keyword be left blank? The interface hint "Replacement keywords (one per line) left blank means deletion" indicates that if an old keyword should be removed from the file name rather than replaced with a new word, the corresponding replacement content can be left empty. However, deletion operations are more likely to affect the naming structure; before use, it is advisable to confirm if extra underscores or spaces would be left behind.
Question 3: Why import files before setting rules? Importing files first allows users to confirm the processing scope, avoiding the situation where the rules are set correctly but the processed objects are wrong. The advantage of a batch tool is processing many files at once, so pre-checks are very necessary.
Question 4: Will the document content be modified? The feature used in this article is called "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names", targeting file names, not the body content of Word, PDF, PPT, or Excel files. File extensions remain unchanged after processing, and the document content is not altered by the file name replacement.
Question 5: What should be noted when multiple keywords include numbers? A number like 12 might represent a month in a file name, or it could appear in other numbering schemes. If the file name structure is complex, it is recommended to first observe whether all instances of 12 should be replaced with 05. If necessary, the search keyword can be written more completely, for example, by combining it with delimiters for judgment, but it should be based on the actual file naming rules.
Summary: Let Office Software Batch Handle Repetitive Renaming
Batch finding and replacing multiple keywords in file names is a very practical type of operation for file organization. It is suitable for processing office files with clear rules, large quantities, and mixed formats. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , users can fill in the keywords to find and the corresponding replacement keywords line by line, allowing the software to automatically complete batch updates from 2024 to 2025, 12 to 05, and Draft to Completed.
Compared to manual individual modification, using office software for batch file processing can significantly save time and reduce the risks of missed changes, incorrect changes, and inconsistent naming. For users who frequently handle project materials, financial statements, contract documents, training courseware, and product documents, it is recommended to incorporate this type of batch renaming process into their daily file management habits.
If you currently have a batch of file names that need multiple words uniformly replaced, you can start by organizing a list of old keywords and new keywords, then open the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" function, import the files, verify the records, set Exact Find, and execute the processing. This transforms the originally time-consuming repetitive renaming work into a controllable, clear, and efficient batch operation.