This article explains how to use office software to batch delete entire lines in multiple TXT text files that contain specified keywords. In the example, there are multiple text files from 1.txt to 5.txt, each containing lines such as Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D that need to be cleaned up. Using the text tool function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can import multiple txt files at once, set the keywords to find, and leave the replacement content blank, thereby achieving batch deletion of entire lines, avoiding opening files one by one for manual searching and deletion.
In daily office work, data organization, data cleaning, and document archiving, you often encounter this problem: a folder contains many TXT text files, and each file has some lines that don't need to be kept, such as content with fixed identifiers, table of contents appendices, system logs, invalid fields, or repetitive descriptions. If there are only one or two files, it's acceptable to manually open a text editor to delete them; but when the number of files reaches dozens or hundreds, searching for keywords one by one, selecting entire lines, deleting, and saving is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions or accidental deletions.
The problem this article aims to solve is: how to batch delete all lines containing specific keywords in many text files. Taking multiple txt files as an example, it demonstrates how to use office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch find entire lines containing specified keywords and delete them without opening each file individually. The keywords in the example include Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D. After processing, these lines will disappear from the text content, while other body text remains unchanged.
Applicable Scenarios: Which text files are suitable for batch deleting lines containing keywords
This method is suitable for processing plain text files, especially files with the .txt extension. In the screenshot example, the files to be processed are 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, and 5.txt, all common text files. For people who often need to organize documents, this kind of batch deletion of entire lines is a very common need.
For example, administrative staff might need to delete fixed headers, appendix indexes, or disclaimers from multiple instruction texts; operations staff might need to clean lines containing certain identifier words from exported TXT data; development or testing personnel might need to delete invalid records containing specified keywords from log files; and document editors might need to batch clean recurring table of contents items at the beginning of documents. As long as the target content has clear keywords and you want to delete the entire line containing that keyword, you can use the method in this article.
It is important to note that this article demonstrates batch processing of entire lines in text files, not just deleting the keyword itself. That is, if a line contains a set keyword, the entire line will be deleted or replaced with empty content. This logic is very suitable for line-level cleaning, such as deleting all lines containing Annex A, rather than just removing the characters "Annex A".
Effect Preview: Lines to be deleted exist in multiple TXT files before processing
Before processing, the folder contains multiple text files that need to be cleaned. As seen in the screenshot, the example directory contains five TXT files: 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, and 5.txt. If processed individually, each file requires repeated actions like finding, deleting, and saving, and the workload increases significantly with the number of files.
After opening one of the text files, you can see that the Annexes section at the beginning of the file contains multiple lines of appendix descriptions, among which the lines Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D are the target content to be deleted. These lines are followed by different descriptive texts, such as Food and drink standards, The secondary school analysed meal, Frequently asked questions, etc. Since the goal is to delete the entire lines containing these keywords, there is no need to manually select the subsequent descriptive text; as long as the keywords are set, the software will process them by line.
Effect Preview: Entire lines containing keywords have been deleted after processing
After processing is complete, upon opening the generated text file, you can see that the lines originally containing Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D are no longer displayed. The Annexes title remains, and the content goes directly to the Contents section below, indicating that the software only deleted the lines matching the keywords without damaging other body text.
From the comparison before and after processing, it can be seen that batch deleting entire lines is not a simple global replacement of a word but a cleanup based on the "line where the keyword is located". For text content with fixed patterns, this method is more stable than manual deletion and is more suitable for batch file processing.
Operation Steps: Using office software to batch delete all lines containing keywords
Step One: Enter the Text Tools and select the Find and Replace Entire Lines function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Text Tools" from the function categories on the left. Find "Find and replace entire lines in text files based on keywords" in the function list. From the interface description, it's clear this function is for batch deleting or replacing entire lines containing a certain keyword in text files with new text, which perfectly matches the need described in this article.
The purpose of this step is to tell the software that the processing objects are text files and the processing granularity is "entire lines". If it were a normal find and replace for keywords, it might only replace partial text; choosing entire line processing here ensures that the entire line containing the keyword is cleaned up.
Step Two: Add the multiple TXT files to be processed
After entering the function page, the software proceeds to a wizard-style process. The first step is "Select records to process". You can click "Add Files" to add them individually, or use "Import files from folder" to import all text files from a specific folder at once. The screenshot shows that 1.txt through 5.txt have been imported, with the table displaying file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time, and the bottom summary shows a record count of 5.
The expected result of this step is that all txt files requiring batch line deletion appear in the list. After importing, it's recommended to check the file count and paths to confirm nothing is missed and no unnecessary files are added. If there are mistakenly added files in the list, they can be removed using the delete button in the operation column on the right.
Step Three: Set the search method and keyword list
Click "Next" to enter "Set processing options". In the keyword setting area, you can see "Exact text search" selected under "Search method". This indicates the software will match based on the entered keywords precisely, suitable for fixed text like Annex A, Annex B.
In the "Keywords to find list", enter one keyword per line. The example enters Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D consecutively. On the right is the "Replacement keyword list", with a note saying "Leave blank to delete". Therefore, if the goal is to delete entire lines containing these keywords, do not fill in any replacement content on the right side; leave it empty.
This step is very critical. The left-side keywords determine which lines will be matched, and leaving the right side empty determines that the matched entire lines will be deleted. If you want to delete more types of lines, you can continue adding keywords to the list; if you only want to delete some lines, only fill in the corresponding keywords to avoid an overly broad scope.
Step Four: Continue to set the save location and start batch processing
After completing the keyword settings, click "Next" at the bottom of the page. Based on the process prompts at the top of the interface, the subsequent steps will involve "Set save location" and "Start processing". In the save location step, it is recommended to choose an output directory that is easy to identify, or save the processed files as prompted by the software page. The advantage is that the source files before processing and the result files after processing are easier to distinguish, making subsequent verification more convenient.
After entering the start processing step, execute the batch processing according to the page prompts. The software will read the text content of the imported file list one by one, find the entire lines containing Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D, and delete these lines. Once finished, open the result files for spot-checking to confirm that the target lines have been cleaned and the body text remains intact.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Does it delete just the keyword itself, or the entire line content?
The function used in this article processes entire lines in text files based on keywords, so it deletes the entire line containing the keyword, not just the keyword itself. For example, if a line content is "Annex A Food and drink standards...", as long as the keyword list contains Annex A, this entire line will be deleted.
2. How should the keywords be filled in?
It is recommended to put one keyword per line and fill in text that can accurately locate the target lines as much as possible. The example does not just fill in "Annex", but separately enters Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D, which allows for more precise control over the deletion scope. If the input is too broad, it might delete lines that should not be deleted.
3. Is a backup necessary before processing?
Before batch processing files, it is recommended to keep a backup of the original files or output the results to a new location. Once a batch delete operation acts on a large number of files, inaccurate keyword settings could affect the content of multiple files. It is a safer practice to test with a small number of files first, then execute in batch.
4. Is case sensitivity supported?
As seen in the screenshot, the settings page has an "Ignore letter case" option. If you need to treat Annex A, annex a, etc., in different cases as the same type of content, you can check this option as needed; if the file content has clear case distinctions, you can keep the default setting.
Summary: Using batch processing tools to reduce the workload of repetitive text line deletion
Batch deleting all lines containing keywords in multiple TXT text files is essentially a typical repetitive office task. Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can transform the process of manually opening files, finding, and deleting one by one into importing files once, setting keywords once, and performing a single batch process. For users who often need to organize txt texts, clean logs, delete fixed descriptive lines, or batch standardize document content, this method can significantly save time and reduce the probability of manual errors.
If you also encounter situations where a large number of text files need specified lines deleted, you can follow the steps in this article to prepare a small sample for testing first, confirm the keyword matching results are correct, and then import the complete folder for batch processing. This ensures processing accuracy while fully leveraging the value of office software in batch processing files, reducing repetitive tasks, and improving efficiency.