When many MP4 video filenames contain the same tags, renaming them one by one through right-click is not only time-consuming but also prone to omissions or mistakes. This article takes batch replacing "Adventure Film" in filenames with "1080p" as an example to introduce how to use the file name function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to perform batch find and replace operations. The article covers the effects before and after processing, applicable scenarios, complete steps, and precautions, making it suitable for users who need to organize file names of videos, materials, documents, images, and more.
When organizing video materials, course files, project documents, or client deliverables, a repetitive task often arises: many file names contain the same keyword or tag, but now they need to be uniformly replaced with a new naming convention. For example, a batch of MP4 video files originally included Adventure Film, and now you want to change it to 1080p to indicate video resolution. If there are only a handful of files, manual modification is tolerable; if there are dozens or hundreds, renaming them one by one is not only inefficient but also prone to missed changes, spelling inconsistencies, and accidental deletion of file extensions.
This article addresses the problem of "batch modifying and replacing keywords in many file names." It will demonstrate, with screenshots, how to use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to replace specified text in multiple file names at once using the "Find and replace keywords in file names" feature. This tool is positioned as a batch processing office software for documents and files, suitable for reducing repetitive operations and improving file organization efficiency.
Applicable Scenarios: Which File Names Are Suitable for Batch Find and Replace
Batch replacement of file name keywords applies to all scenarios requiring unified naming conventions. The example in the screenshot involves MP4 video files, but in practice, similar needs may arise with Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, image materials, compressed archives, audio files, and other file types. As long as the same text fragment exists in the file names, batch find and replace can be considered.
Common scenarios include: replacing old project numbers in file names with new ones; uniformly changing client names, department names, or course names to new formats; changing category tags in video file names to resolution, year, or version numbers; standardizing date formats in doc, docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf, and other office file names; uniformly replacing keywords such as shooting locations, activity names, or product models in image file names. Compared to manual renaming, the advantage of batch processing lies in unified rules, centralized operation, and reduced repetitive work.
Effect Preview: Before Processing, File Names Contain Adventure Film
From the "before processing" screenshot, you can see multiple MP4 file records in the folder. The file names are movie titles such as Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Inception, Interstellar, Jurassic World, all followed by the same keyword [Adventure Film]. If such repetitive tags need to be uniformly changed to something else, modifying them one by one would be very tedious.
The core problem before processing is: the main part of each file name is different, but the keyword to be replaced is the same. In other words, we do not want to change the original names like Avatar, Inception, The Martian, but only want to replace the Adventure Film with the new 1080p. This is the typical situation suitable for the "file name keyword find and replace" feature.
Effect Preview: After Processing, Uniformly Replaced with 1080p
The "after processing" screenshot shows that the original [Adventure Film] in file names has been uniformly replaced with [1080p]. The file extensions remain .mp4, and the main movie titles have not been changed. That is, the batch replacement only acts on the specified keyword and does not affect other parts of the file name.
This result is highly suitable for file organization: it retains the original identifying information of each file while changing the repetitive tags to new standards in one action. For users needing to batch modify file names, batch replace file name keywords, or unify video file naming, this operational approach is more stable and efficient than manual renaming.
Operation Steps: Use the File Name Tool to Enter the Find and Replace Function
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select File Name in the left-hand function category. The right side will display multiple function cards related to file name processing, such as inserting text into file names, adding prefixes and suffixes, deleting text from file names, etc. This time, the first function is needed: Find and replace keywords in file names.
The operational purpose of this step is to enter the workflow specifically designed for batch finding and replacing text in file names. After selecting this function, the software enters a wizard-style processing interface, completing the task in the order of "Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing." For users unfamiliar with batch renaming tools, this step-by-step interface is easier to understand and reduces the probability of operational errors.
Operation Steps: Add Files for Batch Renaming
After entering the "Find and replace keywords in file names" function, you are first at Step 1: Select records to process. In the upper right corner of the interface, you can see two buttons: Add Files and Import Files from Folder. If files are scattered in different locations, you can use "Add Files" to select them in batches; if all files are in the same folder, using "Import Files from Folder" is more convenient.
After files are imported, the list shows information such as sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. Users can check in the list whether the correct files have been imported. The screenshot shows multiple imported mp4 files, and the name column shows that each file contains Adventure Film. After confirming the files are correct, click the Next button at the bottom to enter the processing option settings.
It is recommended to pay special attention to the file extension in this step. When batch modifying file names, usually only the name part before the extension needs to be replaced; do not accidentally delete or incorrectly change extensions like .mp4, .docx, .xlsx, .pdf. Previewing the file names and extensions through the software list helps users identify problems promptly before starting the process.
Operation Steps: Set the Keywords to Find and Replace
After entering Step 2 "Set processing options," you can see the search method, additional options, and two keyword list areas on the left and right. The screenshot shows Exact Text Search selected, with the "Keywords to find list" on the left and the "Replacement keywords list" on the right. In this example, Adventure Film is entered on the left, and 1080p is entered on the right.
The logic of this step can be understood as follows: The software will look for the text filled in on the left within each file name. If it finds an exact match, it will replace it with the corresponding text on the right. Because the original file names actually displayed as [Adventure Film], and the find content in the screenshot was entered as Adventure Film, the replacement result retained the square brackets, ultimately becoming [1080p]. This indicates that only the keyword inside the square brackets was replaced this time, rather than deleting the entire bracket structure.
The interface also shows additional options like "Ignore letter case" and "Match whole word only." Whether to select these depends on the actual situation of the file names. If the capitalization in file names is inconsistent, you might consider ignoring case; if you are concerned about replacing a fragment inside a word, you should set the matching rules carefully. After setting up, continue by clicking Next, following the wizard to the save location and start processing stage.
Frequently Asked Questions and Precautions
1. Is a backup needed before replacement? Batch renaming affects multiple file names simultaneously. It is recommended to back up important data before processing, or first test the rules with a small number of files to see if they meet expectations. Especially for project materials, contract documents, client deliverables, etc., a backup can reduce the risk of operational errors.
2. Should the find content include brackets? It depends on your goal. If you only want to replace the text inside the brackets, you can fill in just Adventure Film as in the example; if you wish to replace or delete the brackets along with the text, you need to enter the corresponding text based on the actual file name. The goal of this article's example was to retain the square bracket format, so only the keyword in the middle was replaced.
3. Can it be used for Word, PDF, image files, etc.? Based on the function's name, it processes keywords in file names, not file content. Therefore, any files imported into the list can typically be processed according to file name rules, such as doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, jpg, png, mp4, etc. In actual operation, confirmation should still be based on the list displayed by the software import.
4. Why use office software for batch processing? Because file naming is a high-frequency but low-value repetitive task in office organization. Using office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can transform the process of repeated clicking, copying, pasting, and renaming into a single rule configuration, thereby saving a significant amount of time.
Summary: Reduce Repetitive Renaming Work with Batch Replacement Rules
Batch modifying keywords in file names is essentially about turning manual repetitive operations into rule-based processing. In the example in this article, multiple MP4 file names originally contained Adventure Film. Through the "Find and replace keywords in file names" function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , they can be replaced with 1080p in one go, while keeping the original main file names and extensions unchanged.
If you are organizing video materials, office documents, project files, or client data, and find that a large number of file names contain the same old tags, numbers, or names, it is not recommended to continue renaming them one by one. Instead, you can first organize the "keywords to find" and "replacement keywords," and then use a batch processing tool to execute them uniformly. This improves efficiency and makes file naming more standardized.