When a large number of PDF reports, handouts, or archived documents accumulate in a folder, organizing a complete file directory is not an easy task. This article focuses on the scenario of cataloging PDF document information, explaining how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch export the full path, file name, extension, size, creation and modification time, page count, as well as metadata such as title, author, subject, and keywords of PDFs to Excel. Combined with the before-and-after processing effects and software operation steps, the article helps users quickly create a PDF document inventory that is filterable, sortable, and deliverable.
Many office scenarios require a systematic inventory of PDF documents: exactly how many files are there, which paths are they located in, how many pages does each PDF have, what is the file size, what are the creation and modification times, and does the PDF properties contain metadata like title, author, subject, or keywords? It seems like just organizing information, but with a large number of files, manual statistics become repetitive, tedious, and error-prone work.
For example, after a project ends, a PDF document list needs to be submitted to the client; schools or training institutions need to organize course handouts and exercise books; internal company departments need to digitize inventories of historical reports, policy documents, and scanned archives; archive managers need to form an Excel ledger from PDFs scattered across folders. The commonality of these scenarios is that you don't need to read the PDF content page by page, but you do need to quickly obtain file-level information and PDF property details.
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a software designed for batch processing office files. Its file information statistics function can output a summary of basic file information and detailed PDF information for multiple PDFs. This article will introduce, following the actual operation process, how to batch export PDF file paths, page counts, and metadata to Excel, helping you complete the PDF document information inventory in a more standardized way.
Applicable Scenarios: Upgrading from a Folder View to an Excel Document Ledger
Simply viewing a PDF list in a Windows folder usually only provides limited information like file name, modification date, type, and size. For true document management, this information is often insufficient. Frequently, you also need the full path for file location, the name without extension for numbering and matching, the page count for workload calculation, and PDF metadata for identifying file source and subject.
Batch exporting PDF information to Excel is suitable for the following types of users: first, document administrators who need to regularly generate electronic file catalogs; second, project assistants who need to create a list of project deliverables; third, teachers, academic researchers, or training operators who need to count the number and pages of course material PDFs; fourth, legal, financial, and auditing personnel who need to uniformly register evidentiary materials, reports, and scanned contracts; fifth, anyone who needs to convert the contents of a PDF folder into a structured table.
If your need is to "list PDF files one by one in Excel" and you also wish to automatically include information like page count, path, author, and title, then batch file information statistics are more suitable than manual copy-pasting. It can upgrade the Excel list from a simple list of file names to a filterable, sortable, and traceable document ledger.
Effect Preview: Before processing, there is only a common list of PDF files
Before processing, the folder contains a batch of PDF materials. The screenshot shows multiple PDF files named with terms like study material, course summary, training guide, and project report. The File Explorer view displays the file name, date, file type, and size, but this information cannot directly form a complete Excel table, nor can you see the PDF page count, let alone the metadata fields in the PDF like title, author, subject, and keywords.
If using a manual method at this point, you would typically need to first copy the file name, then the path, and then open each PDF or check its properties individually to record page counts and metadata. As soon as the number of files increases slightly, it becomes difficult to guarantee the speed and accuracy of the statistics. Especially when path information is long, manual copying easily misses folder levels; when there are many metadata fields, titles, subjects, and keywords are easily mixed together.
Effect Preview: After processing, you get an Excel file containing detailed PDF information
After processing using the file information statistics function, the results will be organized into Excel. The processed table not only contains basic fields like path, name, extension, file size, containing folder, creation time, and modification time but also includes page count, as well as PDF metadata information such as title, author, subject, keywords, creation date, application, and producer.
The advantage of this type of Excel table lies in its strong subsequent usability. You can filter a specific batch of PDFs by folder path, count total pages by page number, analyze source materials by author or subject, check if a file is the latest version by modification time, and use this table as an archive catalog, delivery list, or internal asset ledger. Compared to screenshots or folder lists, Excel results are better suited for team collaboration and long-term maintenance.
Operation Steps: Batch extract PDF paths, page counts, and metadata
Step 1: Open the file information statistics entry point
After starting HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , navigate from the left-side category to File Organization. Find File Info Stats in the function area on the right. The description on this function card in the screenshot states it batch counts information like names, paths, sizes, times, and metadata of various files, indicating it is not limited to general file name organization but is geared towards a more complete summary of file information.
The operational goal of this step is to select the correct batch processing module. Since we want to perform a PDF file information inventory, not PDF merging, splitting, or conversion, we should enter File Info Stats. Once inside, the software will guide the user through procedural steps to complete file selection, processing option settings, save location settings, and start processing.
Step 2: Import the PDF files to be inventoried
After entering the File Info Stats interface, the first step is to select the records to be processed. At the top of the interface, you can see options for adding files, importing files from a folder, and clearing. For individually selected PDFs, you can use Add Files; for a large number of PDFs already in the same directory, importing files from a folder is more recommended, as this allows you to add the entire batch of materials at once.
After importing, the list displays the current file records. The fields in the screenshot include serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and actions, with the bottom showing a record count of 20. Here, you can first check if the number of files matches the number of PDFs in the folder, confirm if the paths are correct, and if any files not needing statistics were inadvertently included. Unwanted records can be removed in the actions column; for lists with larger data volumes, filtering and sorting can assist in review.
This stage is equivalent to establishing the processing queue. Only if the queue is accurate will the final Excel statistical results be reliable. Therefore, it is recommended to spend some time verifying the file list before clicking Next, especially in scenarios like project delivery or archive filing that require high list accuracy.
Step 3: Select PDF file detailed information as additional info
After confirming the file list, click Next to proceed to set processing options. In the Additional Information area, you can see detailed information options for multiple file types, including Word file details, Excel file details, PPT file details, PDF file details, text file details, image file details, etc. Here, you need to check PDF file details.
This step determines whether PDF-related fields will appear in the Excel file. Basic statistics can yield general information like file name, path, size, and times, but fields such as page count, PDF metadata title, author, subject, keywords, creation date, application, and producer belong to the scope of PDF detailed information. Therefore, when performing a PDF document information inventory, be sure to confirm that PDF file details are checked.
If your folder only contains PDFs, checking PDF file details is sufficient. If a project directory contains a mix of doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, txt, or image files, you can also check the corresponding detailed information options as needed. However, to keep the results table more focused, it is advisable to select only the necessary items based on the current statistical goal, to avoid exporting too many irrelevant columns.
Step 4: Set the save location and generate the Excel statistical results
After completing the processing options, continue to the next step to set the save location. This location is used to store the exported Excel result file. It is recommended to save the result in a directory related to the project materials, such as a project delivery folder, archive statistics folder, or a temporary organization directory. This will make subsequent searching and review more convenient.
Then proceed to start processing. The software will read PDF information one by one according to the file list and write the statistical results into an Excel file. Compared to manual statistics, the advantage of batch processing lies in its consistent process, unified fields, and complete records, making it especially suitable for office scenarios that require repeated processing of multiple batches of files. You don't need to open each PDF individually to check page count, nor manually copy the full path of each file.
Step 5: Review and continue processing in Excel
After processing is complete, open the exported Excel table. You can first verify that the number of record rows matches the number of imported files, then check if key fields meet expectations. Common checkpoints include: whether the path points to the correct directory; whether the name and extension are correct; whether the page count has been generated; whether PDF metadata fields contain content; whether the creation time and modification time are convenient for subsequent judgment of file versions.
If a formal document catalog is needed later, you can continue adding columns in Excel for numbering, classification, remarks, responsible department, review status, etc. You can also use filtering functions to view documents by subject, author, folder, or page count range. For a large volume of PDF documents, exporting to Excel is not the end of the work, but the starting point for establishing standardized file management.
Common Questions and Precautions
PDF metadata and file system times are not the same type of information
The exported Excel might contain both creation time, modification time, and the creation date from the PDF metadata. The former typically comes from file system properties, describing when the file was created or modified on the disk; the latter comes from the PDF's internal metadata, reflecting attributes written during PDF generation. They may be the same or different. When archiving or auditing, you should choose which field to use based on business rules.
Why do some PDFs lack author, title, or keywords?
Not all PDFs have their metadata fully filled out. Many PDFs are generated without setting a title, author, subject, and keywords, or are created by different software, scanning devices, or batch generation programs, resulting in empty or irregular metadata fields. Therefore, it is not uncommon for some PDF metadata fields to be empty in the Excel file. The statistical tool is responsible for extracting existing information, but it cannot guarantee that every PDF contains complete internal metadata.
What statistics can be done with the page count?
Page count is a very practical field in PDF management. It can be used to estimate printing costs, verify material completeness, calculate reading workload, and identify abnormal files. For example, if most reports in the same series are about ten pages long, but one file has only one page, it is worth further checking if a page is missing or the export was incomplete. Once the page count is exported to Excel, you can quickly analyze it using sum, sort, and filter functions.
Why is the path field important?
PDFs with the same or similar names in different folders are very common. If you only record the name, you might not be able to accurately locate the file later. The full path clarifies the file's location, avoiding repeated searches in multi-level directories. For cross-departmental collaboration, project delivery, and archive management, the path field is often the key to document traceability.
It is recommended to do a small batch test before processing a large number of files
If you are using this function for the first time, it is recommended to select a small number of PDFs for testing first. After confirming that the exported fields and format meet your requirements, then perform batch statistics for the entire folder. This helps identify early if you need to adjust the file scope, save location, or additional information options, reducing rework.
Summary: Transforming PDF Information Inventory from Manual Entry to Batch Export
The difficulty of inventorying a large number of PDF documents lies not in the complexity of any single field, but in the high number of files, scattered field information, and significant repetitive manual operations. Through the File Info Stats function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can aggregate PDF paths, names, extensions, sizes, creation/modification times, page counts, and metadata into an Excel file at once, turning previously scattered folder content into a structured list.
If you are struggling with PDF document archiving, project delivery, course material organization, or electronic file ledgers, you can follow the steps in this article: enter File Info Stats under File Organization, import PDF files, check PDF file details, set the save location, and start processing. The resulting Excel sheet can not only reduce manual entry time but also improve the accuracy and traceability of file management.