Many office document folders adopt a unified naming format, such as year plus project name plus serial number. When the year changes, project batches are upgraded, or numbering rules are adjusted, manually modifying folder names one by one is very inefficient. This article describes how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch search and replace keywords in multiple folder names. Through the example, it can be seen that 2024 and 001 in the original names are replaced with 2025 and 002 respectively, which is suitable for batch organization scenarios such as project directories, archive directories, and R&D material directories.
In enterprise office and personal document management, folder naming often follows fixed formats. For example, "Year_Document Type_Number," "Client Name_Project Phase_Version Number," "Department_Month_Archive Number," and so on. Such naming conventions facilitate retrieval and classification, but they also introduce a problem: when rules change, batches of folders need to be renamed accordingly. For instance, when a new year arrives, all directories starting with "2024" need to be changed to "2025"; when a project batch is upgraded, the ending "001" needs to be changed to "002". If the number of directories is large, manual operation is very inefficient.
This article will focus on the topic of "Batch replacing multiple keyword lists in many folder names," explaining how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to perform batch find and replace for folder names. This software is a batch document processing tool designed for office scenarios, suitable for handling file names, folder names, and common office file organization tasks. Here, we focus on keyword replacement in folder names: replacing the old keyword list "2024" and "001" with the new keyword list "2025" and "002" respectively.
Applicable Scenarios: What Office Problems Can Batch Find and Replace Folder Names Solve?
The most typical scenario for batch renaming folders is a change in data archiving rules. For example, a project management department generates a batch of project directories every year containing the year in the name; the following year, they need to copy the previous year's directory structure and change it to the new year. Manually renaming folders one by one is not only time-consuming but also may lead to missing some directories.
The second type of scenario involves number or batch adjustments. For example, test report directories, meeting minutes directories, requirements document directories, design specification directories, etc., all use "001" as the initial batch number. When entering the second batch, they might need to be uniformly changed to "002". This type of number usually appears at the end of the folder name and can be quickly adjusted using batch replacement.
The third scenario is changes to project names, client names, or department abbreviations. For example, switching from an old department name to a new one internally, changing a client abbreviation from an old one to a new one, or upgrading a project code. As long as the old name appears repeatedly in multiple folders, replacement relationships can be established through a keyword list.
The fourth scenario is the reuse of office document templates. Many teams maintain a standard directory template containing folders for Word documents, .docx archive folders, Excel data folders, PDF output directories, image material directories, etc. After copying the template, simply batch-replacing the year, number, and project code can quickly generate the new project's directory structure.
Effect Preview: From Old Naming Rules to New Naming Rules
Before Processing: Folder Names Contain the Same Old Keywords
In the screenshot before processing, you can see that multiple folders use a similar naming structure: starting with "2024," then the document type or project module name in the middle, and ending with "001". For example, folders like Project Plan, Requirements Documents, Design Specifications, Development Code, Test Reports, Project Resources, Meeting Notes, and Archived Files are all from the same batch of project material directories.
The red boxes indicate the two parts that need to be replaced: one is the year "2024," and the other is the number "001". These fields are distributed in different positions—one at the beginning of the folder name and one at the end. When searching manually, it is easy to overlook the trailing number, whereas using the tool allows for unified processing according to rules.
After Processing: Multiple Keywords Uniformly Replaced, Directory Meaning Preserved
In the screenshot after processing, the folder names have been updated to the new rules: the original "2024" became "2025," and the original "001" became "002". The English text in the middle representing the material category remains unchanged, still retaining terms like Archived Files, Design Specifications, Development Code, Meeting Notes, etc.
This shows that batch find and replace does not rewrite the entire folder name, but only replaces the keywords you specify. For office materials where directory structure and business meaning need to be preserved, this approach is safer and more precise.
Operation Steps: Complete Batch Folder Name Replacement Following the Screenshots
Step 1: Open the Folder Name Processing Function in the Software
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Folder Name" in the left navigation bar. As shown in the screenshot, this is a function category specifically for handling folder naming. After entering this category, multiple function cards are displayed on the right side of the page, the first of which is "Find and Replace Keywords in Folder Names".
Since the requirement this time is to batch find old keywords and replace them with new ones, select this function card. The red prompt and arrow in the screenshot point to the correct entry; click it to enter the specific settings page.
The expected result of this step is to enter the "Find and Replace Keywords in Folder Names" task workflow. The interface flow is typically divided into selecting the records to process, setting processing options, setting the save location, and starting the process. The advantage of this design is that it allows users to first confirm the objects, then set the rules, and finally execute, reducing operational errors.
Step 2: Click Add Folders and Import the Directories to Process
In the upper right corner of the task page, you can see the "Add Folder" button. After clicking, add the folders that need to be renamed this time to the processing list. In the example, 8 folders were added, and the table shows information such as name, path, creation time, and modification time.
After importing, it is important to check the "Name" and "Path" columns. The name is used to confirm whether the folder conforms to the replacement rules, and the path is used to confirm whether the directory in the correct location was selected. For example, the paths in the screenshot are located under the desktop test folder, and the names all contain "2024" and "001", indicating that these directories are exactly the objects to be processed this time.
If any folders in the list do not need to be renamed, they should be removed before proceeding. Because batch processing applies to all records in the list simultaneously, more careful upfront inspection leads to more stable results later. After confirming the records are correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Step 3: Select Find Exact Text and Fill in the Old Keyword List
After entering the "Set Processing Options" page, first set the search method. In the screenshot, "Find Exact Text" is selected. For fixed content like years, numbers, and project codes, finding exact text is a very direct method. It is suitable for scenarios where you clearly know what content to replace.
Then, enter the old keywords in the "Keyword List to Find" on the left. In the example, two lines are entered: Line 1 is "2024" and Line 2 is "001". This means the software will search for these two texts in each folder name. If these texts appear in a folder name, they will be replaced according to the corresponding rules.
Step 4: Fill in the List of New Keywords to Replace With, Establishing a One-to-One Correspondence
Enter the new keywords in the "Keyword List to Replace With" on the right. In the example, "2025" is entered on Line 1 and "002" on Line 2. The software establishes the replacement relationship based on row numbers: "2024" on Line 1 of the left replaces with "2025" on Line 1 of the right; "001" on Line 2 of the left replaces with "002" on Line 2 of the right.
The key point here is "row number consistency". If you need to process more keywords, you can continue adding rows, for example, replacing "A_Project" with "B_Project" or "Draft" with "Final". However, each row must maintain its left-right correspondence without arbitrary misalignment.
The screenshot also shows additional options, including "Case-insensitive matching of letters" and "Match whole word only". If the replacement content involves English words, you can choose based on the need. For instance, when dealing with "project", "Project", "PROJECT", case sensitivity may need attention; when dealing with whole words, consider whether to match only independent words. For the numeric keywords in this example, keeping the defaults is generally fine.
Step 5: Proceed to the Next Steps, Confirm, and Execute the Process
After setting the replacement rules, click "Next". According to the workflow at the top of the interface, the subsequent steps will require setting a save location before starting the process. Since changes to folder names affect paths, before execution, confirm that the new names are reasonable, especially to avoid creating duplicate names in the same directory.
After processing is complete, open File Explorer to check the results. Under normal circumstances, the original "2024_Project_Plan_001" will become "2025_Project_Plan_002", and other similar folders will also be updated according to the same rules. If the processing results are consistent with expectations, it indicates that the multi-keyword batch replacement task is complete.
Common Questions and Precautions
Must the number of old and new keywords be the same?
From the screenshot example, the old keyword list and the new keyword list correspond by row. Therefore, it is recommended to fill in the same number of rows on both sides and check row by row. The right-side area also indicates "Leave blank means delete", suggesting that if no replacement content is filled in for a row, it might result in the deletion of that keyword. If the goal is replacement rather than deletion, ensure the corresponding row on the right has new content filled in.
Can I replace more than two keywords at once?
Yes. The example shows the replacement of two keywords at once: 2024 and 001. As long as the interface list continues to add rows, you can fill in more replacement relationships in the same way. In actual office work, rules for years, batch numbers, client abbreviations, project codes, etc., can be handled together in a single task.
Why is it recommended to test on a small scale first?
Batch processing is very efficient, but this also means that incorrect rules are quickly applied to many folders. For important materials, it is recommended to first select a small number of test directories to verify the results, and after confirming the replacement logic is correct, proceed to process all folders.
Will files inside the folder be renamed?
This article demonstrates the "Folder Name" function, focusing on processing the names of the folders themselves. The screenshot also shows selection of folder name-related tools, not Word, Excel, or PDF tools. Whether .docx, .doc, .xlsx, .pdf files inside the folder change depends on whether file name-related functions are used separately; this operation focuses on the outer folder name.
Summary: Managing Folder Naming with Keyword Lists is More Efficient
When the same year, serial number, or project field exists in multiple folder names, using batch find and replace can significantly improve organizational efficiency. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool uses the "Keyword List to Find" and "Keyword List to Replace With", allowing users to establish multiple sets of replacement rules at once, avoiding the need to rename individually.
The example in this article replaced "2024" with "2025" and "001" with "002", quickly completing the naming update for a batch of project material directories. For users who frequently organize office documents, project materials, Word document directories, PDF archive directories, and cross-departmental shared folders, adopting a batch processing approach is recommended to reduce repetitive labor and save time for more important content management and review tasks.