When a folder contains a large number of documents such as Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, TXT, etc., manually copying file names, full paths, extensions, sizes, and modification times is very time-consuming and prone to omissions. This article introduces how to use the "File Information Statistics" feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch summarize path information and basic attributes of multiple files into an Excel spreadsheet, suitable for scenarios like data archiving, file inventory checks, project delivery lists, and document management.
In daily office work, many people encounter this problem: a folder contains dozens or even hundreds of files, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PPT presentations, PDF files, and TXT text files. A boss or client requests a file list that includes the full path, file name, extension, size, containing folder, creation time, and modification time for each file. If you right-click to view properties one by one and then copy them into Excel, not only is it inefficient, but it is also easy to copy the path incorrectly or miss files.
What this article aims to solve is the problem of "batch collecting path information for many files and summarizing them into an Excel spreadsheet." With the help of office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , repetitive file statistics tasks can be automated: import multiple files at once, follow a wizard to set options, and generate an Excel result table. For users who need to create file ledgers, material directories, project file delivery lists, teaching material lists, or contract attachment lists, this batch processing method for files can significantly reduce the time spent on manual organization.
Applicable Scenarios: When Do You Need to Batch Collect File Path Information
Batch extracting file paths and exporting to Excel is common in the following types of office scenarios. First, during data archiving, you need to organize all files in a certain folder into a directory for easier retrieval and handover later. Second, before project delivery, you need to list all doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, txt files to check if they are complete. Third, in administrative, HR, finance, or teaching management, there is often a need to count document names, their paths, and modification times for record-keeping or review. Fourth, when there are many files on a computer or shared drive, generating an Excel file list first and then using Excel's filtering, sorting, and search functions for management is more efficient than searching directly in File Explorer.
This type of work seems simple, but when the number of files increases, manual processing becomes repetitive labor. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is positioned as office software, and its core value is batch processing files, reducing repetitive operations, and improving organization efficiency. This article uses its "File Information Statistics" function to demonstrate how to summarize the path and attribute information of multiple files into an Excel sheet.
Effect Preview: Scattered Files Before Processing, Structured Excel List After Processing
Before Processing: Mixed File Formats in the Folder
As shown in the pre-processing screenshot, the folder contains multiple files such as ClassroomReview.pptx, ConceptSummary.pdf, CourseSchedule.xlsx, ExamPreparation.docx, and GrammarNotes.txt, with file types including PPTX, PDF, XLSX, DOCX, and TXT. At this point, only the file name and date are visible in File Explorer. To organize information like the full path, extension, and size into a table requires extra operations.
After Processing: File Path and Attribute Details Automatically Generated in Excel
The result after processing is an Excel spreadsheet with headers including Path, Name, Name (without extension), Extension, Size (bytes), Size, Containing folder name, Containing folder path, Created time, Modified time, and other fields. That is, each file corresponds to one row of records, containing the full file path, file name, name without extension, extension, file size, containing folder name, containing folder path, creation time, and modification time.
For example, the full path of ClassroomReview.pptx is recorded as D:\test\folders\ClassroomReview.pptx, with the extension pptx; the extension of ExamPreparation.docx is docx; the extension of CourseSchedule.xlsx is xlsx. Such an Excel file list makes it easy to subsequently filter PDFs, count the number of Word documents, sort by modification time, or submit directly as an archive directory.
Steps: Using the File Information Statistics Function to Batch Export Paths to Excel
Step 1: Enter the "File Information Statistics" Function under "File Organization"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select the "File Organization" category in the left toolbar. The main area will display multiple function cards related to file organization, such as "Classify Files by Name," "Classify Files by Extension," "File Information Statistics," "Folder Information Statistics," etc. Here, the goal is to collect the name, path, size, time, and metadata information of individual files, so choose "File Information Statistics."
In the screenshot, the description of the "File Information Statistics" card explains that it batch counts the name, path, size, time, metadata, and other information of various files, which perfectly matches the goal of this article. Clicking this function will enter its operation wizard.
Step 2: Add or Import Files from a Folder that Need to be Counted
After entering the "File Information Statistics" page, the first step is "Select Records to Process." The top right of the page provides two entry points: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder." If the files are scattered in multiple locations, you can use "Add Files" to select them batch by batch; if the files are concentrated in one directory, it is more recommended to use "Import Files from Folder," which can pull all files from the folder into the list at once.
After importing, the page table will display the sequence number, name, path, extension, creation time, modification time, and an operation column. The example in the screenshot imported 20 records in total, currently displaying 10 per page. The path for each file is directly visible in the table, such as D:\test\folders\ClassroomReview.pptx, D:\test\folders\ConceptSummary.pdf, etc. This allows you to confirm whether the files have been imported correctly before officially generating the Excel sheet.
Step 3: Check the File List, and Filter, Sort, or Delete Records if Necessary
In the record list from the first step, operational entries like "Filter" and "Sort" can be seen on the right side, and there is a delete icon after each record. If many files have been imported, it is recommended to first check the quantity and file types to confirm whether the required docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf, txt files are included. If unnecessary files were imported by mistake, they can be deleted via the operations column; if the list is long, you can use pagination, filtering, and sorting to review.
The purpose of this step is not to modify file content, but to confirm the subjects to be counted. Because the final Excel table will be generated based on this file list, the more accurate the imported list, the more reliable the final file path list. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Step 4: Set Processing Options, Select Additional Information as Needed
After entering the second step, "Set Processing Options," the page displays an "Additional Information" area, including options like Word Document Detailed Information, Excel Document Detailed Information, PPT Document Detailed Information, PDF Document Detailed Information, Text File Detailed Information, Image File Detailed Information, etc. These options in the screenshot illustrate that the software can not only collect basic path information but also append more detailed information based on file type.
If your goal is only to batch export file paths, file names, extensions, sizes, creation times, and modification times, keeping the basic statistics is usually sufficient; if you need to collect more detailed information specifically for Word's doc, docx, Excel's xls, xlsx, PPT's ppt, pptx, or PDF files, you can check the boxes provided on the page as needed. After completing the settings, continue to click "Next."
Step 5: Set the Save Location and Start Processing
As seen from the process flow at the top of the page, the File Information Statistics function uses a step-by-step wizard: "Select Records to Process," "Set Processing Options," "Set Save Location," "Start Processing." Therefore, after completing the processing options settings, you need to enter "Set Save Location" and specify where the result file should be saved. It is recommended to save the generated Excel list to an easily found location, such as the current project folder, an archive directory, or a temporary directory on the desktop.
Finally, enter the "Start Processing" step. The software will batch read file information based on the imported file list and generate the Excel statistics result. After processing is complete, open the generated table to see the structured data previewed in the earlier effect preview.
How Can the Generated Excel Spreadsheet Be Used
After summarizing the file path information into Excel, subsequent management becomes very convenient. You can filter all PDF files by the Extension column to quickly view a PDF list; sort by the Modified time column to find the most recently modified files; or use the Containing folder path column to check if files originate from the same directory. If you need to create a file delivery directory, you can keep the Path, Name, Extension, Size, Modified time fields, and then adjust column widths and formats according to specific requirements.
For shared team drives with a large number of files, regularly generating such a file statistics table can also help discover duplicate files, expired files, and abnormal paths. Compared to manually copying paths, the list automatically generated by office software has more uniform fields and is more suitable for subsequent filtering, summarizing, and searching in Excel.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Can it only count one file format?
As seen from the examples, multiple file types like pptx, pdf, xlsx, docx, txt can be imported in the same task. This means that File Information Statistics is not limited to Word or PDF, but is suitable for batch counting in mixed folders.
2. Does the path information include the complete file name?
In the processed Excel file, there is a Path column that displays the full path with the file name, for example, D:\test\folders\VocabularyGuide.docx. There are also Name and Name (without extension) columns, making it easy to view the full file name and the name without the extension separately.
3. Should I organize the folder before importing?
It is recommended to first check if the folder contains irrelevant files. If you only need to count a certain batch of materials, you can place them in a single folder and then add them via "Import Files from Folder," which makes it less likely to miss any.
4. Is it mandatory to select the additional information options?
Not necessarily. The additional information is suitable when you need a deeper statistical analysis of certain document types. If you are only creating a file path list and basic attribute table, the default basic information statistics will meet most office needs.
Conclusion: Replace Manual Path Copying with Batch Statistics
The key to batch collecting file path information is to uniformly convert the attributes of files scattered across folders into an Excel spreadsheet. Through the "File Information Statistics" function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can complete the process step-by-step from importing files, confirming the list, setting options, to generating the result table, without needing to copy file paths one by one or manually check the properties of each file.
If you frequently need to organize lists of Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, TXT files, it is recommended to delegate such repetitive work to office software for batch processing. The next time you need to create a material directory, file inventory, or project delivery list, you can follow the steps in this article directly to quickly generate an Excel file containing path, name, extension, size, and time information.