When numerous Word, docx, and doc filenames contain various numbers, dates, or serial numbers, renaming them manually one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to utilize the "Find and Replace Keywords in File Names" feature with regex-like formulas for fuzzy matching rules, to uniformly replace the last four digits in filenames with "-2026", enabling batch, accurate, and reusable keyword modifications in filenames.
When organizing course materials, project documents, exam review resources, or annual archive files, you often encounter a common problem: a batch of Word files have correct main names, but the filenames contain various numerical identifiers, such as EnglishVocabulary2468.docx, ExamReview5820.docx, LearningGoals3091.docx. Now, you want to uniformly change these irregular four-digit numbers to a specific year, for example, to -2026. If there are only two or three files, manually renaming them is acceptable; but if there are dozens or hundreds of docx or doc files, looking up and modifying the numbers one by one would be extremely inefficient and could easily lead to accidentally deleting file extensions, English names, or other keywords.
This article addresses the issue of "batch fuzzy modification of keywords in many filenames using wildcard regular expressions." Utilizing the batch file name processing capability in the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , we can first import the Word files that need processing, then select "Use formula for fuzzy text search," apply rules to match the four-digit numbers in the filenames, and finally uniformly replace the matched parts with specified text. The entire process does not require opening the Word document contents or right-click renaming each file individually. It is suitable for batch processing of docx, doc, PDF, text files, and other materials managed by filename.
Applicable Scenarios: Which Filenames Are Suitable for Batch Replacement with Wildcard Regular Expressions
Wildcard regular expressions or similar fuzzy search rules are particularly suitable for handling situations where "filename structures are similar, but local content is not fixed." For example, filenames have different main bodies but all end with four-digit numbers; or filenames contain non-fixed dates, serial numbers, version numbers, or batch numbers that need to be uniformly replaced with a new year, project code, or standard text.
Taking the Word documents in the screenshot as an example, the filenames are EnglishVocabulary2468.docx, ExamReview5820.docx, LearningGoals3091.docx, MathNotes1357.docx, StudyPlan2024.docx. Their common characteristic is that the extension is docx, and the end of the filename carries a four-digit number, but each number is different. If using ordinary "exact text search," you would need to separately search for 2468, 5820, 3091, 1357, 2024, an operation that is repetitive and not conducive to large-scale processing; whereas using formula-based fuzzy search, you only need to enter one rule to match these four-digit numbers.
This type of method is common in the following office scenarios: batch organizing Word study material filenames, batch standardizing docx contract numbers, batch replacing old years in filenames, batch modifying random numbers in project materials, and batch changing dates or version numbers in filenames to a unified format. Its core value is not simply "changing a name," but transforming repetitive labor into a one-time rule configuration.
Preview of Results: Non-Uniform Numbers in Filenames Before Processing
Before processing, the filenames of multiple Word documents had different four-digit numbers at the end. These numbers might originate from old identifiers, random export numbers, old years, or temporary naming conventions. Although the main bodies of the filenames are readable, the non-uniform trailing numbers are not conducive to archiving, sorting, and retrieval.
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see that the red lines mark the parts needing replacement in each filename: 2468, 5820, 3091, 1357, 2024. They all conform to the characteristic of "four-digit numbers," so a regex-like rule like \d{4} can be used for batch fuzzy search. The logic here is: regardless of the specific four numbers, as long as a sequence of four consecutive digits is found in the filename, replace it with the unified text.
Preview of Results: Unified Replacement with -2026 After Processing
After processing is completed, the original four-digit numbers in the filenames are uniformly replaced with -2026, while the main filename bodies and the .docx extension remain unchanged. This preserves meaningful names like EnglishVocabulary, ExamReview, LearningGoals, MathNotes, StudyPlan while consolidating the irregular numbers into a unified year identifier.
For instance, EnglishVocabulary2468.docx becomes EnglishVocabulary-2026.docx, ExamReview5820.docx becomes ExamReview-2026.docx, and StudyPlan2024.docx also becomes StudyPlan-2026.docx. This result demonstrates that the software did not replace based on a single fixed number but rather batch-identified different four-digit numbers through fuzzy rules and then executed a unified replacement.
Operation Steps: Using Office Software to Batch Fuzzy Replace Filename Keywords
Step 1: Enter the "File Name" Tool and Select the Find and Replace Function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see categories like Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organizing, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, etc., in the left navigation bar. Since the object to process this time is "file names," not Word body content, you should enter the "File Name" category on the left.
In the list of file name tools, select "Find and replace keywords in file names." The purpose of this function is to batch find and replace keywords in file names, suitable for changing a certain piece of text, numbers, or content matching a rule in filenames to new text.
The operational goal of this step is to first correctly select the processing object and the processing function. Many users easily confuse "file content replacement" with "file name replacement": if you want to modify text within a Word document, you should choose Word tool related functions; if you only want to change the filename, you should use the find and replace function under the File Name category.
Step 2: Add Files Needing Batch Renaming
After entering the "Find and replace keywords in file names" page, the software will display multiple steps in a flow, including "Select records to be processed," "Set processing options," "Set save location," and "Start processing." In step 1, you can import single or multiple files through the "Add File" button at the top right of the page, or use "Import files from folder" to batch add files from a specific folder to the list.
The screenshot shows that 5 docx files have been imported, and the list displays information such as serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, etc. It is recommended here to check two points before clicking "Next Step": first, confirm that the files in the list are indeed the ones to be processed this time; second, confirm that the extensions have not been selected incorrectly. If you only want to process Word documents, focus on whether the extension is docx or doc. After confirmation, click the "Next Step" button at the bottom to enter the processing options settings.
Step 3: Select "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search"
On the "Set processing options" page, you need to first determine the search method. In the screenshot, the "Search Method" area contains "Exact Text Search" and "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search." Since this example aims to replace not fixed text, but different four-digit numbers in different filenames, you should select "Use Formula for Fuzzy Text Search."
This step is critical. If you select exact search, you can only search for exactly identical text; but numbers like 2468, 5820, 3091 are all different and cannot all be hit at once by one fixed text entry. After selecting formula-based fuzzy search, you can enter a matching rule similar to a wildcard regular expression, allowing the software to identify the target parts in the filenames based on the rule.
Step 4: Fill in the Keyword Rule to Search For
In the "List of keywords to search for," enter \d{4}. This rule can be understood as matching a sequence of four consecutive digits. For the examples EnglishVocabulary2468.docx, ExamReview5820.docx, LearningGoals3091.docx, MathNotes1357.docx, StudyPlan2024.docx in this case, the numbers 2468, 5820, 3091, 1357, 2024 in the filenames all conform to this rule.
It should be noted that this article discusses keyword replacement in file names, and it is generally not recommended to include the extension as a replacement target. The rule in the screenshot matches the four-digit number in the main body of the filename, and the .docx extension is preserved in the processing results. Therefore, when configuring rules, you should aim to make the search rule point to the part that truly needs modification, to avoid affecting file types.
Step 5: Fill in the Keyword to Replace With
In the "List of keywords to replace with" on the right side, fill in -2026. This means that after the software finds a four-digit number matching the rule, it will replace the matched content with -2026. Since the replacement text includes a hyphen, the resulting filename will appear in a format like EnglishVocabulary-2026.docx, which is clearer to read than a direct concatenation like EnglishVocabulary2026.docx.
If your actual needs differ, you can also set the replacement text to something else, such as 2026, _2026, -New Version, -Archive, etc. The format chosen should be based on your team's existing file naming conventions. For annual materials, course materials, and project documents, the "Main Name-Year.Extension" format is often more convenient for sorting and searching.
Step 6: Continue to Next Step, Set Save Location and Start Processing
After completing the search rule and replacement text settings, click the "Next Step" button at the bottom of the page. According to the page flow, you will subsequently enter the "Set save location" and "Start processing" sections. Since batch renaming affects multiple files, it is advisable to confirm the save location and file list before formal processing to avoid processing files that should not be modified together.
When you enter the start processing phase, just follow the prompts on the software page to execute the processing. After completion, go back to the folder to check the results; you will see that the four-digit numbers in the filenames have been uniformly replaced with -2026, and the Word file extensions remain normal.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Why not use exact text search?
Exact search is suitable for replacing completely identical text, such as changing "old version" to "new version" in all filenames. However, in this example, the numbers in each filename are different. If you enter the numbers one by one, it defeats the purpose of batch processing. Using formula-based fuzzy search allows you to match a category of content with one rule, which is more suitable for replacing random numbers, dates, identifiers, etc.
2. What content will \d{4} match?
In this example, \d{4} is used to match a sequence of four consecutive digits. As long as a sequence of four consecutive digits exists in the filename, it may be matched and replaced. Therefore, if some filenames contain four-digit numbers you do not wish to modify, it is recommended to first remove these files from the list or process them separately in a batch.
3. Do I need to back up files before batch modifying filenames?
It is recommended to back up important files first, or test the rules with a few sample files initially. The advantage of batch processing is speed, but if the rules are not set accurately, it can also quickly produce unintended names. A safer approach is to test with 3 to 5 files first, confirm the results are correct, and then process the entire folder.
4. Can this approach be used for docx and doc files?
Yes. The examples in this article are docx files, but as long as the processing object is the filename, the approach is also applicable to doc, xlsx, pptx, pdf, txt, and other files. The key lies in: whether there is a part in the filename recognizable by a rule, and whether the naming after replacement meets your management requirements.
Summary: Replacing Manual Renaming with Rules to Increase File Organization Efficiency
The true value of batch modifying filenames is to offload large, repetitive, mechanical, and error-prone operations to office software. Through the "Find and replace keywords in file names" function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , combined with "Use formula for fuzzy text search," you can quickly uniformly replace irregular four-digit numbers in multiple Word file names with a specified year or keyword.
If you are organizing docx, doc, PDF, or other office materials, and the filenames contain many dates, numbers, version numbers, and other similar but not identical content, it is recommended to prioritize this wildcard regex-based batch fuzzy replacement method. First import the files, then set the search rule and replacement text, and finally process according to the flow. This can significantly reduce the time spent on manual renaming and make file archiving more unified and standardized.