When there are a large number of folders such as project materials, customer files, and monthly reports, renaming them one by one by right-clicking is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions or inconsistent input. This article uses the example of uniformly adding the prefix "2025-12" to multiple folder names to introduce how to use the "Add prefix and suffix to folder names" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete batch folder renaming operations. The article includes a comparison of the effects before and after processing, applicable scenarios, detailed operation steps, and precautions, making it suitable for office users who need to organize a large number of folders and standardize directory naming.
In daily office work, many folders are named by project, customer, department, or material type, such as Annual_Plans, Backup_Data, Client_Files, Finance_Records, etc. When there are only a few folders initially, manual management is not a big problem; but as directories grow, needing to uniformly add a month, batch, project number, or department identifier becomes repetitive labor, requiring renaming folders one by one.
The problem this article aims to solve is clear: how to batch-add a prefix to many folder names, for example, uniformly renaming multiple folders to start with "2025-12". Through office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , the operation that originally required right-click renaming one by one can be transformed into a process of batch import, unified settings, and one-time processing, suitable for handling naming standardization issues in office scenarios involving large numbers of folders, files, Word documents, Excel sheets, PDF materials, etc.
Applicable Scenarios: When to Batch-Add Prefixes to Folder Names
Batch-adding prefixes to folder names is essentially for making directories easier to sort, search, and archive. Especially when there are many folders, naming sources are inconsistent, or organization is required by time or project batch, a unified prefix can significantly improve management efficiency.
Common scenarios include: adding a date prefix to monthly archive folders, such as 2025-12Annual_Plans, 2025-12Finance_Records; adding a customer tier or region prefix to client material folders; adding a project number to project folders; adding a department identifier to material folders in department shared directories; adding a batch number to backup directories for easier future lookup.
If done manually, 10 folders might be acceptable, but with dozens or hundreds, issues like missed changes, duplicate entries, and disordered sequences easily arise. Using office software for batch processing ensures all folders are renamed following the same rule, reducing repetitive labor and lowering the probability of human error.
Effect Preview: Folder Name Comparison Before and After Processing
Before Processing: Folder Names Without a Unified Prefix
From the pre-processing screenshot, folder names include Annual_Plans, Backup_Data, Client_Files, Design_Documents, Finance_Records, Marketing_Assets, Project_Reports, Resource_Library, Team_Meetings, Technical_Notes, etc. These names themselves indicate the content, but lack a time, batch, or archive identifier. If these folders belong to the same month’s materials, subsequent searches across multiple batches are less intuitive.
After Processing: "2025-12" Added Before Each Folder Name
The post-processing screenshot shows the original multiple folders have been uniformly added with the "2025-12" prefix. This way, users can directly tell from the name that these folders belong to the December 2025 batch or archive cycle. For project materials, financial records, meeting minutes, design documents, etc., organized by month, this naming approach is much clearer.
It is important to note that the example prefix in the screenshot is "2025-12". In actual use, you can fill in other text according to your office rules, such as "ProjectA-", "ClientMaterials-", "Archive_", "2026Q1", etc., as long as it complies with system folder naming rules.
Operation Steps: Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to Batch-Add Folder Name Prefixes
Step 1: Enter the "Folder Name" Category, Select the Add Prefix and Suffix Function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see multiple function categories on the left, such as File Name, Folder Name, File Organizing, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. This article deals with folder names, so you should enter the "Folder Name" category on the left.
In the main interface, select "3. Add Prefix and Suffix to Folder Name". From the interface description, this function is used to "batch-add a prefix or suffix to folder names". This fully corresponds to the goal of this article: uniformly adding a prefix to many folder names.
The purpose of this step is to enter the correct batch rename function module. The expected result is to open the "Add Prefix and Suffix to Folder Name" processing page, preparing to add folders and set the prefix subsequently.
Step 2: Add Folders to Be Processed
After entering the function page, the top displays the current function name "Add Prefix and Suffix to Folder Name", and shows the steps "Select records to process", "Set processing options", "Set save location", "Start processing" as a workflow. First, you need to add the folders to be processed in Step 1.
Click the "Add Folder" button in the upper right corner of the page to add the folders needing batch renaming to the list. The screenshot has already added 10 folders, with the table listing information such as serial number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and operations. Through this table, you can check before processing whether the correct folders are selected.
The purpose of this step is to establish the object list for this batch processing. The expected result is that all folders needing a prefix are displayed in the table, and the record count matches the actual number to be processed. The bottom of the screenshot shows "Record count: 10", indicating that there are currently 10 folders participating in subsequent processing.
If you find a certain folder should not be processed, you can use the delete icon in the "Operations" column to remove it from the list. The page also shows entries like "Clear All", "More", "Filter", "Sort". When dealing with many folders, you can check through the list before continuing, avoiding mistakes.
Step 3: Enable "Add Prefix", Input the Text to Append Before the Folder Name
After confirming the folder list is correct, click "Next" to enter "Set Processing Options". On this page, you can see two setting areas: "Add Prefix" and "Add Suffix". The requirement of this article is to add a prefix before the folder name, so you need to toggle on the "Add Prefix" switch and fill in the prefix content in the input box.
In the screenshot example, "Add Prefix" is toggled on, and "2025-12" has been entered. The "Add Suffix" switch remains off, indicating that text will only be added before the folder name this time, with nothing appended to the end.
The purpose of this step is to define the batch rename rule. The expected result is that an identical text segment will be added to the front of each target folder’s original name. For example, Annual_Plans will become 2025-12Annual_Plans, Backup_Data will become 2025-12Backup_Data.
If your naming convention requires a separator between the prefix and the original name, you can write it together when inputting. For instance, if you want "2025-12_Annual_Plans", you can fill in "2025-12_" as the prefix; if you want "2025-12-Annual_Plans", you can fill in "2025-12-". The example in the screenshot has no extra separator, so the processed names appear as forms like "2025-12Annual_Plans".
Step 4: Continue to Next Step, Check Save Location and Start Processing
After completing the prefix settings, click the "Next" button at the bottom of the page. According to the progress bar, subsequent steps involve "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". Since this is a folder name processing task, it is recommended to double-check the pending list and prefix text before continuing, especially whether the prefix includes the connectors, date format, or project number you want to keep.
When the settings are confirmed to be correct, proceed to the start processing step according to the page flow. After processing is complete, go back to the folder's location to check the results, and you will see that multiple folder names have been batch-added with a uniform prefix, consistent with the post-processing effect screenshot.
Common Questions and Notes
1. Prefix Content Should Be Standardized in Advance
The advantage of batch processing lies in setting once and taking effect for many items, but this also means input errors will simultaneously affect multiple folders. Therefore, before filling in the prefix, it is recommended to determine the team naming convention first. For example, whether the date uses "2025-12" or "2025_12", whether the project number needs a dash, whether the department name needs Chinese or English abbreviations. The clearer the specification, the more convenient subsequent searching and sorting will be.
2. Whether a Separator is Needed Depends on Your Naming Habit
Judging from the example effect, the prefix "2025-12" connects directly to the original folder name. If you prefer a clearer visual distinction, you can include the separator in the prefix, such as "2025-12_" or "2025-12-". When batch-adding prefixes to folder names, the software executes based on the text you input, so the separator also needs to be entered together.
3. Confirm Folders Are Not In Use Before Processing
If some folders are currently opened by other programs, or files inside them are being edited, this might affect the rename operation. Before processing, it is advisable to close windows, documents, or programs using these folders, especially in multi-user collaboration scenarios like shared directories, sync disk directories, and project material directories.
4. Process a Small Sample First, Then Handle Large Batches
If you are using the batch rename folder function for the first time, it is recommended to select a few folders initially to test the naming effect. After confirming the prefix format meets expectations, then proceed to process a large number of directories. This can avoid extensive modifications caused by misunderstanding the naming rule.
5. Distinguish Between Folder Name and File Name Processing
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool has different categories like "File Name" and "Folder Name". This article deals with folder names, not the names of files like docx, doc, xlsx, pdf, pptx. If your goal is to batch-modify Word document, Excel table, or PDF file names, you should enter the corresponding file name processing function; if the target is directory names, select the "Folder Name" category.
Summary: Using Batch Processing to Reduce Repetitive Folder Renaming Work
Batch-adding a prefix to many folder names is a very common yet time-consuming task in office material organization. Through the "Add Prefix and Suffix to Folder Name" function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , the manual process of renaming one by one can be simplified to: select function, add folders, set prefix, and process according to the workflow.
As shown in the examples in this article, multiple folders that originally lacked a unified identifier all gained the "2025-12" prefix after batch processing, making the directory archive relationship clearer and easier to sort and search by time batch. For users who need long-term management of project materials, client files, financial records, meeting materials, and backup data, this type of batch processing capability can effectively reduce repetitive labor and improve file organization efficiency.
If you also need to add a date, project number, or department identifier to the front of many folder names, you can open the software and try processing following the steps in this article. It is recommended to prepare the naming rule first, then import the folder list, and complete the batch rename at once after confirming everything is correct.