This article explains how to batch copy an existing folder into multiple duplicates and automatically rename them according to a pre-prepared list of names, for example, generating 12 monthly folders from 2026-01 to 2026-12 at once. Through the file organization feature of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can reduce repetitive manual copying, pasting, and renaming operations, suitable for office scenarios such as monthly data archiving, project template distribution, and customer folder creation.
In daily office work, there is often a need like this: there is already a well-organized folder template, which may contain a fixed sub-folder structure, spreadsheets, Word documents, PDF materials, or other basic files. Now you need to copy it many times and rename each copy differently. For example, generate folders by month like 2026-01, 2026-02, 2026-03 up to 2026-12, or batch-generate folders by customer name, project number, or department name.
If you are only creating two or three folders, manually copying, pasting, and renaming is still acceptable; but if you need to copy dozens or hundreds of folders, manual operation is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions, duplicate names, and name input errors. This article aims to solve the typical office pain point of "batch copying a folder many times and renaming them". The following will demonstrate, with screenshots, how to use the file organizing feature in the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch-generate multiple new folder copies based on an existing folder and automatically name them using a name list.
Applicable Scenarios: When is it suitable to batch copy and rename folders?
Batch copying and renaming folders is not an uncommon need; it is used in many document management tasks. Especially in scenarios like team collaboration, data archiving, project management, and financial statistics, the folder structure is often fixed, but each copy has a different name.
Common scenarios include:
- Creating monthly data directories: For example, generating monthly folders from 2026-01 to 2026-12 at once, for storing monthly reports, invoices, contracts, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, etc.
- Copying folder templates by project: A company has a unified project data directory and needs to create similarly structured folders for multiple project numbers.
- Creating folders by customer name: Sales, customer service, legal, and other departments need to create individual folders for each customer, maintaining the same data classification structure.
- Distributing data templates by department or personnel: HR, administration, and training departments can batch-generate folders corresponding to multiple department or employee names.
- Batch-preparing archive directories: When organizing files at the end of the year or month, batch-creating directories with standardized names in advance makes subsequent archiving clearer.
The common characteristic of these tasks is: there is only one source folder, but many target folders; each target folder has the same structure but a different name. Using a batch processing tool can hand over the repetitive operations to the software, significantly reducing the probability of manual errors.
Effect Preview: Before processing, only one folder and one name list exist
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see that there is a folder named New folder on the desktop, and a text name list has been prepared beside it, with the content being 2026-01 to 2026-12. The function of this text list is to tell the software which new folder names to generate.
In practice, the name list can come from a txt file, a single column of content copied from an Excel spreadsheet, or project numbers, customer names, and month names you have manually organized. As long as each line corresponds to a new folder name, it can serve as the naming basis for batch creation.
The goal in this example is clear: using New folder as the existing folder template, batch-copy 12 folders and rename them to 2026-01, 2026-02, 2026-03...2026-12 respectively. If the original folder already has sub-folder structures or template files, you can also decide whether to keep the folder structure based on the software settings.
Effect Preview: After processing, 12 monthly folders are automatically generated
After processing is complete, in Windows File Explorer, you can see that 12 folders have been generated in the target location, named sequentially from 2026-01 to 2026-12. Each entry type is File folder, indicating they are all new folder copies, not simple text lists or shortcuts.
Compared to manual operation, the advantages of batch processing are very clear: there is no need to repeat the actions of "copy folder — paste — rename — confirm", nor do you need to enter names one by one. As long as the name list is prepared in advance, the software can batch-generate target folders according to the list, which is especially suitable for office tasks with large quantities and clear naming rules.
Operation Steps: Using the File Organizing Feature to Batch Copy and Rename Folders
The following explanation follows the operation sequence in the screenshots. As this is a wizard-style process, the core idea can be summarized as: enter the corresponding function, add the source folder, fill in the new name list, continue to set the save location, and start processing.
Step One: Enter "File Organizing" and select the batch folder creation function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select File Organizing in the left function area. On the file organizing page, you can see multiple function cards related to file classification and folder creation. What needs to be selected here is "Batch create new folders based on an existing folder".
The purpose of this step is to tell the software that this task is not simply creating new empty folders, but batch-creating multiple new folders based on an existing one. It applies to the scenario of "having a template folder that needs to be copied many times and renamed according to a list."
After entering this function, the software enters a step-by-step processing flow. You can see from the interface that the flow includes: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. This wizard-style design helps users complete batch folder processing step by step, making it less likely to miss key configurations.
Step Two: Add the source folder to be copied
After entering the function page, you first arrive at Step 1 Select records to process. Click the Add Folder button in the upper right corner to add the folder to be used as a template. The screenshot shows the addition of New folder from the desktop path.
After successful addition, the list will display information such as the source folder's name, path, creation time, and modification time. You can use this step to verify that the correct folder has been selected. If you find it was added incorrectly, you can remove the record using the delete operation icon in the interface and re-add it.
The expected result of this step is: the source folder record to be processed appears in the software list. All subsequent generated new folders will be created based on the folder added here.
Step Three: Set processing options and fill in the new name list
After confirming the source folder is correct, click the Next button at the bottom to enter Step 2 Set processing options. In the screenshot, you can see an option: Ignore all files, keep only folder structure. This option is suitable for situations where you only want to copy the directory structure, not the file contents inside the source folder.
If your template folder contains many Word, Excel, PDF, image, or other files, and you only need to copy the folder structure this time, you can enable this option. The new folders generated this way will retain the directory framework but will not copy the files along with them, helping to reduce space usage and prevent old files from being mistakenly carried into new monthly or project directories.
In the New name list area, enter one new folder name per line. In the screenshot, 12 lines of names are entered:
- 2026-01
- 2026-02
- 2026-03
- 2026-04
- 2026-05
- 2026-06
- 2026-07
- 2026-08
- 2026-09
- 2026-10
- 2026-11
- 2026-12
The key here is "one name per line". The software will read the name list line by line and generate a new folder with the corresponding name for each line. If you want to batch-create customer folders, paste the customer names line by line here; if you want to create project folders, paste the project numbers line by line here.
Step Four: Continue to set save location and start processing
After filling in the name list, click the Next button at the bottom to continue to the subsequent process. According to the process prompts at the top of the interface, the next step is to complete Set save location, and then enter Start processing.
The purpose of this step is to determine where the generated folders will be saved. It is recommended to choose a clear target directory, such as an annual archive directory, a project data master directory, or a temporary processing directory on the desktop. After confirming the save location, proceed to the start processing step, and the software will batch-create new folders according to the previously added source folder and name list.
After processing is complete, you can open the save location to verify. You should see that each item in the name list has been created as an independent folder. In this example, the final result is exactly 12 folders from 2026-01 to 2026-12.
Common Questions and Notes
1. Does the name list need to be prepared in advance?
It is recommended to prepare it in advance. You can enter lines in a txt file, or organize a column of names in Excel and then copy them into the software's name list area. For regular content like months, dates, numbers, and customer names, preparing the list first will be more efficient.
2. Can I fill in multiple folder names on one line?
It is not recommended. According to the input method in the screenshot, the software displays the name list by line, so you should keep one folder name per line. This makes the generation result more controllable and easier to check for omissions.
3. Will files inside the source folder be copied?
The screenshot shows the "Ignore all files, keep only folder structure" option. When this option is enabled, it is suitable for only retaining the directory structure; if your requirement is to copy files along with the folders, you should choose carefully based on the actual interface setting. It is recommended to test once with a small amount of data before operating.
4. Can new folder names contain special symbols?
Windows folder names themselves cannot contain certain special characters, such as backslashes, forward slashes, colons, asterisks, question marks, quotation marks, less-than signs, greater-than signs, vertical bars, etc. These characters should be avoided when preparing the name list, otherwise they may cause creation failure or names not conforming to system rules.
5. Is this suitable for managing Word, Excel, and PDF data directories?
Yes, it is suitable. Although this article demonstrates batch folder copying and renaming, in actual office work, folders may contain various files like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, txt, images, etc. By batch-creating unified directories, subsequent data archiving can be made more standardized.
Summary: Let batch processing tools handle repetitive copying and renaming
Batch copying a folder many times and renaming them is essentially a high-frequency but repetitive office task. Manual processing is not only slow, but also easily affects the efficiency of subsequent organization due to input errors, missing folders, or duplicate naming.
Using the file organizing feature of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can quickly generate multiple neatly-named new folders from an existing one through the flow of "add source folder — fill in name list — set save location — start processing". Whether creating 12 directories by month, or batch-generating folders by client, project, or department, it can significantly reduce repetitive labor.
If you are currently preparing monthly archive directories, project data templates, or customer folders, it is recommended to first organize the name list and then follow the steps in this article. This allows you to complete batch copying and renaming in one go, making file management more standardized and daily office work more efficient.