When a folder contains a large number of images such as JPG and PNG that need unified naming, right-clicking to rename them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to missed changes or typing errors. This article uses the example of batch adding the "image-" prefix to images like black.jpg, green.jpg, etc., to introduce how to use the filename prefix and suffix adding function in office software to complete batch renaming of multiple files in one go. It is suitable for scenarios such as image organization, material archiving, project delivery, and file standardization management.
In daily office work, many people encounter similar problems: a folder contains dozens or hundreds of image files, with original names like black.jpg, green.jpg, sun.jpg. However, when delivering, archiving, or uploading to a system, they need to be uniformly renamed with project identifiers, category identifiers, or purpose identifiers, such as image-black.jpg, image-green.jpg, image-sun.jpg. If you rename them manually one by one, it's not only repetitive labor but also prone to issues like missed changes, inconsistent prefixes, and accidentally deleting file extensions.
This article addresses the issue of "batch adding prefixes to many file names." Using screenshots, we will demonstrate with the batch file processing capabilities of office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , showing how to use the "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names" function to add a consistent prefix to multiple JPG files at once. Although the example uses jpg images, the same approach applies to other common office and resource files, such as png, jpeg, docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pptx, pdf, txt, etc. As long as you need to standardize file names, you can refer to this batch renaming method.
Applicable Scenarios: When is Batch Adding Prefixes to File Names Suitable?
Batch adding prefixes to file names seems like a small file organization action, but it is very common in actual office workflows. Especially when the number of files is large, using office software for batch processing can significantly reduce repetitive labor.
1. Image Assets Need Uniform Project Identification
Design, operations, e-commerce, and content teams often organize large numbers of image assets. For example, original file names might be black.jpg, green.jpg, white.jpg. If placed directly in a shared directory, it's hard to determine which project these files belong to during subsequent retrieval. By batch adding a prefix, they can be uniformly renamed to image-black.jpg, image-green.jpg, image-white.jpg, making the naming clearer.
2. Files Need Unified Naming Rules Before Uploading to a System
Some business systems, asset libraries, or document management platforms require file names to have fixed prefixes, such as project numbers, dates, department abbreviations, or category names. Manually modifying file names one by one is very tedious, but batch adding a prefix can standardize naming in one step.
3. Multiple Types of Office Files Need to be Distinguished for Archiving
Besides image files, Word documents (docx, doc), Excel spreadsheets (xlsx, xls), PDF files, PPT files (pptx), etc., often require uniform prefixes. For example, contract files uniformly add "Contract-", training materials add "Training-", scanned copies add "Scan-". Batch renaming makes file lists easier to sort, filter, and identify.
4. Avoid Errors Caused by Manual Renaming
Common mistakes when manually renaming files include missing prefixes, inconsistent prefix spelling, accidentally changing extensions, and chaos from duplicate names. Using a batch processing tool ensures the same rule is applied to a group of files, yielding more consistent results and better suitability for team collaboration.
Effect Preview: File Name Changes Before and After Processing
Before starting the operation, let's first look at the processing effect in this example. In the screenshot, the original folder contains 5 JPG image files named black.jpg, green.jpg, sun.jpg, tree.jpg, and white.jpg. These file names lack a unified prefix; if they need to be organized as image assets or project files, a consistent block of text needs to be added before the original names.
The file names before processing are shown in the following image:
After batch adding the prefix, the prefix image- was added to each file name. The results are image-black.jpg, image-green.jpg, image-sun.jpg, image-tree.jpg, and image-white.jpg. As you can see, the .jpg extension remains unchanged; only the unified prefix is added before the main file name.
The file names after processing are shown in the following image:
This effect illustrates that this operation does not modify the image content or convert the file format; it performs batch processing on the file names. For office scenarios requiring quick standardization of file names, this type of function is very direct and efficient.
Steps: Using Office Software to Batch Add Prefixes to File Names
Below, we introduce the complete operation process according to the screenshot sequence. For ease of understanding, this article uses the example of uniformly adding the image- prefix to 5 jpg image files. In actual use, you can input other prefixes, such as 2026-, ProjectA-, Contract-, Asset-, etc., based on your own naming conventions.
Step 1: Enter "File Name" Related Tools, Select "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see multiple office processing modules in the left function category, such as File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. Since our goal is to modify file names, we need to enter the "File Name" category.
In the list of file name functions, find "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names." As you can see from the screenshot, the description for this function is "Batch add prefix or suffix to file names," which perfectly matches our needs. Click on this function to enter the batch processing wizard.
The purpose of this step is to select the correct file name processing function. Since the same software may also include other file name processing methods like find and replace, insert text, case conversion, and delete text, if you just want to add fixed text to the beginning of the file, selecting "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names" is more straightforward.
Step 2: Add Files to Process, Confirm the File List is Correct
After entering the function page, the interface top displays the current function as "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names." The top of the page provides operation entries like "Add File," "Import Files from Folder," "Clear," "More," etc. For a small number of files, you can use "Add File"; if the files are concentrated in a single folder, you can use "Import Files from Folder" to improve efficiency.
After adding files, the software displays the pending records in a list. The screenshot shows 5 files imported, named black.jpg, green.jpg, sun.jpg, tree.jpg, and white.jpg; the list also displays information like path, extension, creation time, and modification time. The bottom summary area shows "Record count: 5," indicating that 5 files will be processed.
The purpose of this step is to add the files needing batch renaming to the processing queue and confirm the file scope before execution. If a file that doesn't need processing appears in the list, you can remove it via the delete icon in the operation column; if imported incorrectly, you can use "Clear" and add again. After confirming the file list is correct, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing option settings.
Step 3: Enable "Add Prefix," Enter the Text to Add Before File Names
After entering "Set Processing Options," you can see two main options in the interface: "Add Prefix" and "Add Suffix." Our goal is to add image- to the beginning of the file name, so we need to enable "Add Prefix" and fill in image- in the input box. In the screenshot, the "Add Prefix" switch is on, and image- is entered in the input box; "Add Suffix" is not enabled, meaning no text will be appended to the end of the file name.
This step is critical. The prefix will be added to the very beginning of the main file name, and typically does not change the file extension. For example, adding image- to black.jpg results in image-black.jpg, not black.image-.jpg, or image-blackjpg. This means the software inserts the specified text before the original name according to file naming rules, while the extension remains intact.
When entering the prefix, pay attention to whether the characters conform to your naming convention. The example uses image-, where the hyphen makes the distinction between the prefix and the original file name clearer. If your team prefers underscores, you can input image_; to add a date, you can input 2026-06- or 202606-. After confirming the prefix is correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Step 4: Set the Save Location and Start Batch Processing
From the progress bar at the top of the page, you can see this function is carried out in 4 steps: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. The screenshots have demonstrated the first two key steps; subsequently, you just need to follow the interface prompts to enter "Set save location," and then "Start processing."
When setting the save location, it's advisable to first confirm where the processed results should be saved based on your work habits. For important files, it's recommended to retain the original file backup, or save the processed files to a newly created, easily identifiable directory. This way, even if you find the prefix input doesn't meet expectations, you can quickly revert to the original file state.
Upon entering the Start processing phase, the software will uniformly add the prefix to all files in the list according to the rules just set. After processing is complete, check the folder, and you will see the file names have changed from black.jpg, green.jpg, etc., to image-black.jpg, image-green.jpg, etc.
Naming Suggestions: How to Write Prefixes for Better Subsequent Management
Batch adding prefixes isn't just about putting text in front of file names; more importantly, it makes the file names more valuable for future retrieval, sorting, and archiving. Below are some common prefix writing suggestions.
1. Use Category Words as Prefixes
If files belong to a certain category of material, you can use category words, such as image-, photo-, banner-, Contract-, Invoice-, Report-. This method suits content management and data archiving.
2. Use Dates as Prefixes
If files are strongly related to time, you can use a date prefix, such as 202606-, 2026-06-26-. This makes it easier for files to be sorted by time in the file explorer.
3. Use Project Names or Numbers as Prefixes
Project-based teams can use project codes as prefixes, such as ProjectA-, PRJ001-, ClientAbbreviation-. This allows quick source distinction even when multiple project files are placed in the same directory.
4. Maintain Consistent Separators
It is recommended to use a fixed separator between the prefix and the original file name, such as a hyphen - or an underscore _. Do not use hyphens for some files and spaces for others, as this will lead to inconsistencies in subsequent filtering and batch processing.
Common Issues and Precautions
1. Will batch adding prefixes change the file content?
No. What this article demonstrates is batch file name processing, which only modifies the file name and does not involve image content, document content, or file format conversion. JPG remains JPG, PDF remains PDF, and Word files like docx and doc will not change their content due to a prefix addition.
2. Will the extension be changed or removed?
From the example results, you can see black.jpg becomes image-black.jpg, and the .jpg extension remains unchanged. Typically, adding a prefix is executed against the main file name, and the prefix will not be added after the extension. However, it is still advisable to confirm the preview or processing rules before operation to avoid mistakes.
3. Can I add prefixes to files of different formats simultaneously?
If your file list contains jpg, png, pdf, docx, xlsx, etc., files simultaneously, and all need the same prefix, they can usually be processed in the same batch. For clearer management, you can also process them in batches by file type.
4. What if I enter the wrong prefix?
Before starting the processing, carefully check the prefix content in the input box. Especially for dates, project numbers, Chinese identifiers, and separators, it's best to double-check before execution. For very important files, it's recommended to first copy a test file, confirm the results meet expectations, and then batch process all files.
5. Which characters can be used in file names?
It's recommended to use common Chinese, English, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. Try to avoid special characters that the system doesn't support or that can easily cause path issues. Standardized prefixes can reduce anomalies during subsequent uploads, synchronization, compression, and cross-platform transfers.
Summary: Reduce Repetitive Renaming Work with Batch Processing
Batch adding prefixes to file names is a very practical high-frequency operation in file organization. Through the "Add Prefix and Suffix to File Names" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , what was previously a task requiring right-click renaming one by one becomes a process of selecting files, entering a prefix, and confirming the processing. In this example, 5 JPG image files were quickly renamed from black.jpg, green.jpg, sun.jpg, tree.jpg, white.jpg to image-black.jpg, image-green.jpg, image-sun.jpg, image-tree.jpg, image-white.jpg.
For users frequently handling image assets, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, or project data, batch renaming not only saves time but also significantly reduces manual input errors. It's recommended that before organizing files, delivering data, uploading to a system, or archiving a project, you first plan a unified naming convention, and then use office software for batch processing, making file management more standardized and efficient.