When there are many folders for project materials, course files, client records, etc., and you need to uniformly add a number, department name, project code, or fixed text at the beginning of each folder name, manually renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to use the "Insert Text into Folder Name" feature to batch insert specified text at the beginning of multiple folder names, achieving a uniform prefix addition for folder names.
In daily office work, many people encounter the need to organize folders: a batch of folders has already been created, such as course materials, exam preparation, knowledge base, reading exercises, research materials, etc., and later it becomes necessary to uniformly add a certain identifier to the beginning of these folder names. This identifier could be a project code, client abbreviation, department name, annual label, or simply a fixed text for easier retrieval.
If there are only three to five folders, manually right-clicking to rename them is acceptable; but when the number of folders reaches dozens, hundreds, or even distributed across multiple directories, modifying them one by one becomes obvious repetitive labor. Even more troublesome, manual input is prone to errors like typing too many or too few characters, inconsistent capitalization, or missing a folder entirely, which can affect subsequent retrieval and archiving.
The problem this article aims to solve is clear: how to batch insert text at the beginning of many folder names. Below, using screenshots and taking the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " as an example, it will demonstrate how to use the "Insert Text in Folder Name" function under the "Folder Name" category to add specified text to the beginning of multiple folder names at once, thereby quickly completing batch folder renaming.
Applicable Scenarios: When is it suitable to batch add text to the beginning of folder names?
Batch inserting text at the front of folder names is a very common operation in folder name standardization and organization. Its core value lies in reducing repetitive input and ensuring consistency in naming rules across a large number of folders. For users who frequently handle office, project, and study materials, this type of operation is particularly useful.
For example, a team has already created multiple folders based on content, named "001-CourseProjects", "002-ExamPreparation", "003-KnowledgeBase", etc. Later, to distinguish different sources or batches, they need to uniformly add a prefix like "ABC" before each folder name. If done individually, one would have to open the rename state, move the cursor to the beginning, type the prefix, and confirm saving, repeating this tens or even hundreds of times. Using a batch processing tool, you only need to set the insertion position and text once, and it can be completed uniformly.
Common applicable scenarios include:
- Uniformly adding project codes to project material folders, such as adding "ABC", "P2026", "Client A", etc., before the folder name.
- Adding batch identifiers to course, training, and exam material folders, like "Spring Term-", "Batch 01-".
- Adding department abbreviations to department shared folders for easy filtering in the resource library.
- Adding date or version tags to backup folders and archive folders, such as "2026-", "Archive-".
- Organizing folders collected from different computers, cloud drives, or external hard drives, standardizing naming rules to reduce future search costs.
It should be noted that this article discusses the batch processing of "folder names", not the editing of file contents like Word, Excel, or PDF. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a batch processing software designed for office scenarios, with tools for Word, Excel, PDF, as well as file name and folder name organization in its interface. This article uses its folder name processing capability.
Effect Preview: Changes in folder names before and after processing
First, look at the folder list before processing. In the screenshot, you can see multiple folder names starting with three-digit numbers, such as "001-CourseProjects", "002-ExamPreparation", "003-KnowledgeBase", etc. These names have numbering and English descriptions but lack a unified prefix identifier.
If this batch of folders later needs to be grouped under the same project or material type, we might want the same text to appear at the front of every name. After processing, the folder names have uniformly added "ABC" at the beginning, becoming "ABC001-CourseProjects", "ABC002-ExamPreparation", "ABC003-KnowledgeBase", etc. This means the original names were not deleted; new text was simply inserted at the very beginning.
From the before-and-after comparison, it's clear that this type of batch operation is suitable for scenarios where you want to "retain the original folder name and only add content at the beginning". It does not require users to rewrite the complete name but instead adds fixed text to a specific position in the original name by specifying the insertion location. The key position used in this article is "0", which is the very start of the folder name.
Operation Steps: Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch insert text at the beginning of folder names
Below, following the order of the software operation screenshots, the complete process is explained. For ease of understanding, the example goal is to uniformly add "ABC" to the beginning of multiple folder names. If you actually need to add a project number, department abbreviation, date, or other text, just replace the example text with your own content.
Step One: Enter the "Folder Name" category and select "Insert Text in Folder Name"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see multiple function categories on the left, including "File Name", "Folder Name", "File Organization", "Word Tools", "Excel Tools", "PDF Tools", etc. This article aims to process folder names, so you should first enter the "Folder Name" category on the left.
Under this category, the interface displays multiple function cards related to folder naming, such as find and replace, insert text, add prefix and suffix, case conversion, delete text, etc. According to the screenshot, the function used this time is the second one, "Insert Text in Folder Name", described as "Batch insert text at a certain position in folder names". Click this function to enter the processing page.
The purpose of this step is to clearly tell the software that we are not performing deletion, replacement, or case conversion, but inserting a piece of text at a specified position in the folder name. For the requirement "add text at the beginning position of a folder name", selecting "Insert Text in Folder Name" is very suitable, because the beginning position is essentially the 0th position in the name.
Step Two: Add folders to be processed and confirm the record list
After entering the function page, the top of the interface shows the current function as "Insert Text in Folder Name", and it is divided into four stages according to the process: "Select records to process", "Set processing options", "Set save location", and "Start processing". Currently, we are in step 1, which involves first adding the folders to be processed into the list.
From the top right of the screenshot, buttons like "Add Folder", "Clear", and "More" can be seen. For this requirement, you need to click "Add Folder" to add the folders to be batch-renamed to the processing records. After adding, the table will list information such as the serial number, name, path, creation time, and modification time of each folder.
In the example, there are 10 records in the list, with names including "001-CourseProjects", "002-ExamPreparation", "003-KnowledgeBase", "004-LanguageLearning", etc., located under the D drive test directory. Before proceeding to the next step, it is recommended to check two points: first, whether the number of records matches the number of folders you prepared for processing; second, whether there are any folders in the list that should not be processed. If you find an incorrect addition, you can delete the corresponding record according to the operation column in the interface, or use "Clear" and re-add.
The expected result of this step is that all folders needing the batch prefix addition have appeared in the table, and the names and paths are confirmed correct. After completing the check, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the processing option settings.
Step Three: Set the insertion position to 0 and fill in the text to be inserted
After entering step 2, "Set processing options", the interface provides two key input fields: one is "Position", and the other is "Text to be inserted". These two settings determine where in the folder name the software will insert text and what content it will insert.
If the goal is to add text to the very front of the folder name, "Position" should be set to 0. Position 0 can be understood as the beginning of the folder name, the position before the first character. For example, if the original name is "001-CourseProjects", inserting "ABC" at position 0 results in "ABC001-CourseProjects".
Fill in the content to be added in the "Text to be inserted" input box. In the example, you can fill in "ABC". If your naming convention requires a separator, you can also fill in text like "ABC-", "Project A-", "2026-" as needed. The software will insert exactly the text you entered, so pay attention to whether spaces, hyphens, or other symbols are needed when filling it in.
This step is very critical. Setting the position to 0 means inserting at the beginning; if set to other numbers, it will be inserted at the corresponding position within the folder name. For the topic of this article, "batch insert text at the beginning position of many folder names", the position should remain 0. After confirming it is correct, click "Next" to continue the subsequent save location and start processing flow.
Step Four: Continue to complete the save location settings and start processing
The process bar in the screenshot shows that after setting processing options, there are two more stages: "Set save location" and "Start processing". Before executing any batch renaming task, attention should be paid to the save or output method to avoid accidental operations affecting the original materials. During actual operation, follow the software interface prompts to continue clicking "Next", complete the settings related to the save location, and then enter "Start processing".
Since the screenshots provided in this article mainly show the function entrance, the folder record list, and the insert text settings interface, the specific options of the save location page do not appear in the screenshots. Therefore, button names not present in the screenshots are not described here. Users only need to follow the current process prompts of the software to complete the remaining steps, and reconfirm the pending records and the text to be inserted before starting the processing.
After processing is complete, you can go back to the File Explorer to check the results. In the example, the original "001-CourseProjects" has become "ABC001-CourseProjects", and other folders have been similarly modified according to the same rule. This indicates that the batch text insertion has been successfully executed.
Common Problems and Precautions
1. Why fill in 0 for the position when inserting text at the beginning?
In name insertion operations, "Position" indicates from which character position of the folder name the content should be inserted. Position 0 usually represents the very front of the name, that is, before the first character. Therefore, to add text before the folder name, you should fill in 0. This way, it does not overwrite the original name but merely supplements new text at the front.
2. Will the inserted text replace the original folder name?
From the function name "Insert Text in Folder Name" and the processing results, it can be seen that it is an insert operation, not a replace operation. The original numbering and name are preserved, with new content just added at the specified position. For example, "001-CourseProjects" becomes "ABC001-CourseProjects" after processing, and the original "001-CourseProjects" still exists within the new name.
3. Can the inserted text include hyphens or spaces?
Generally speaking, the text in the input box will be inserted exactly as entered. Whether to add hyphens, spaces, or underscores depends on your naming convention. For instance, if you want "ABC-001-CourseProjects", you need to include a hyphen in the inserted text; if you want "ABC001-CourseProjects", do not add extra separators. It is recommended to test the naming effect with a small number of folders before formal processing.
4. What information should be checked after adding folders?
It is recommended to focus on checking the number of records, folder names, and paths. The table in the screenshot displays the serial number, name, path, creation time, and modification time, which can help you confirm if the correct target folders have been added. If folders not intended for processing are mixed into the list, they should be removed first before continuing.
5. Is a backup necessary before batch processing?
Batch renaming affects multiple folder names at once. While this operation can significantly improve efficiency, when handling important materials, it is still advisable to first confirm the naming rules, retain backups if necessary, or test on a small sample first. Especially when folders are referenced by other documents, shortcuts, or program paths, the references may need to be updated synchronously after the name change.
Summary: Reducing repetitive renaming with batch processing to improve folder organization efficiency
Batch inserting text at the beginning of folder names is a very practical operation in office material organization. Through the "Insert Text in Folder Name" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , the repetitive work of renaming one by one can be transformed into a batch processing flow involving adding records once, setting rules once, and executing uniformly.
In the example of this article, multiple folders originally starting with numerical codes were uniformly added with the "ABC" prefix, resulting in more consistent naming rules after processing, making subsequent retrieval, archiving, and sharing much more convenient. For office users who frequently manage project folders, course material folders, and client file folders, such batch processing functions can significantly reduce time spent on mechanical operations and also lower errors caused by manual input.
If you also need to add text to the front of a large number of folder names, you can follow the steps in this article: open the "Folder Name" category, select "Insert Text in Folder Name", add the target folders, set the position to 0, fill in the text to be inserted, and then complete the processing according to the process. It is recommended to first verify the effect with a small number of folders, confirming the rules are correct before batch applying to more materials.