How to batch delete the left characters of folder names? Tutorial on removing fixed prefixes with one click

When a large number of folder names contain letters, numbers, or unified prefixes that are no longer needed, renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to missed changes and incorrectly deleted characters. This article takes batch deleting the leftmost 3 characters of folder names as an example to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch rename folders. By adding folders, checking processing records, selecting "the leftmost characters" and filling in the quantity, you can batch change ABC20240101 to 20240101, which is suitable for scenarios such as archive organization, project filing, and customer data cleaning.

When organizing project materials, customer files, contract attachments, or folders archived by date, you often encounter this type of problem: the left side of each folder name contains a segment of text that has lost its meaning. For example, folders were originally named in the format of "department letter code + date number", but later you only want to keep the date number, so you need to uniformly delete the first few letters on the far left of the names.

If there are only two or three folders, manual renaming is still manageable; but when the number increases to dozens, hundreds, or even more, pressing the rename shortcut key, moving the cursor, deleting characters, and confirming one by one will cause a large amount of repetitive work. Different names may also have one character too few or too many deleted due to operational negligence. This article will use practical examples to introduce how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch delete a fixed number of characters from the far left of many folder names, achieving efficient and rule-consistent batch folder renaming.

Applicable scenarios: which folder names can be handled this way

"Delete the leftmost few characters" is suitable for handling folders whose name structures are relatively uniform and whose content to be deleted has a fixed length. It focuses on the position and number of characters, rather than requiring the specific text on the left side of each folder to be completely identical.

For example, the folder names in this example include "ABC20240101", "BCD20241010", "DEF20240202", and so on. The letters on their left sides are not the same, but they all occupy a fixed 3 characters at the beginning, and the numbers after them are the valid numbers that need to be retained. Therefore, as long as you set it to delete the leftmost 3 characters, you can remove the different three-letter codes all at once.

Common applicable scenarios include:

• Delete fixed-length department codes at the front of folder names, such as three-letter codes like "ABC", "BCD", and "DEF";
• Remove the automatically generated serial number prefixes when exporting materials in batches;
• Clean up the year, batch number, or classification identifier on the left side of project folder names;
• Organize directories for photos, contracts, orders, financial vouchers, and other materials, keeping only the core numbers;
• After migrating business system data, uniformly delete the markers added by the old system in front of directory names.

It should be noted that this method deletes by character count. If different folders require deleting prefixes of different lengths, it is not appropriate to directly use the same quantity for batch processing. Instead, you should first group the folders, or use a processing method that better matches the naming pattern.

Effect preview: folder names before and after processing

Before processing: the left side of the names contains three letters

Before processing, the folder names use a structure of "3 English letters + 8 digits". For example, "ABC20240101", "GHI20240303", and "JKL20240404". The three letters marked in red are the content that needs to be batch deleted this time.

As can be seen from the screenshot, although the letter combinations at the beginning of each folder are different, their lengths are all the same, each being 3 characters. This is a typical scenario for using the fixed-quantity deletion method. Before batch processing, you should first observe the naming pattern and confirm that the valid content of all target folders starts from the 4th character.

After processing: only the date or business number is retained

After processing is complete, the three letters on the left side of the folder names have been removed. "ABC20240101" becomes "20240101", "DEF20240202" becomes "20240202", and "YZA20240909" becomes "20240909". Other folders are also renamed according to the same rule.

By comparing the results before and after processing, it can be seen that the software only modified the folder names and did not change the numeric parts that need to be retained. The name format is uniformly organized from "letter code + numeric number" into a pure numeric number, making it convenient for subsequent searching and sorting by date, batch, or business number.

Operation steps: batch delete the leftmost few characters from folder names

Step 1: Enter the function for deleting text from folder names

Open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . Select "Folder Names" in the function category on the left, and the main interface will display a variety of tools related to batch folder renaming. Find and enter "Delete Text from Folder Names".

The purpose of this step is to select the correct processing module. The current task is to delete characters from existing folder names, so you should use the text deletion function rather than "Insert Text into Folder Names" or "Add Prefixes and Suffixes to Folder Names". After entering the function, the interface will guide the operation according to the process of "select the records to be processed - set processing options - set save location - start processing".

Step 2: Add the folders that need batch renaming

After entering the "Delete Text from Folder Names" page, click "Add Folders" in the upper right corner to add the target folders that need processing to the list. After adding, the software will display information such as serial number, name, path, creation time, and modification time.

In the example, 10 folders were added at once, and names such as "ABC20240101", "BCD20241010", and "DEF20240202" can be seen in the list. Do not rush to the next step at this point. It is recommended to first check the following:

• Whether the number of records is consistent with the planned number of folders to be processed;
• Whether the folders in the "Name" column all conform to the same naming structure;
• Whether the "Path" column points to the correct working directory;
• Whether any folders that do not need to be renamed have been mixed in.

If there are mistakenly added items in the list, you can use the delete icon to the right of the corresponding record to remove them; if you need to reselect the list this time, you can also use "Clear" at the top of the page. After confirming that the 10 records are correct, click "Next" at the bottom.

Step 3: Select the leftmost text and enter the deletion quantity

After entering "Set Processing Options", select "Leftmost few characters" in the "Operation Type" area, and then enter the number of characters to be deleted in the "Quantity" input box. In this example, we need to remove the three letters such as ABC, BCD, and DEF, so enter "3" for the quantity.

The meaning of this setting is: starting from the far left of each added folder name, delete 3 characters to the right. The software does not judge whether these 3 characters are specifically ABC or BCD, but executes according to position and quantity, so different letter prefixes can be processed in the same task.

When entering the quantity, it should be based on the actual number of characters, rather than estimating by visual width. For example, if the target name is "ABC20240101", deleting 3 characters should produce "20240101"; if you mistakenly enter 2, the letter C will remain; if you mistakenly enter 4, the number 2 will also be deleted. It is recommended to first choose any name for manual deduction and confirm that the result meets expectations before continuing.

Step 4: Continue setting and start batch processing

After confirming that the processing rule is correct, click "Next", follow the interface guidance to enter "Set Save Location", and then continue to "Start Processing". Since folder renaming will directly affect subsequent retrieval and path references, you should reconfirm the target records, deletion direction, and character quantity before formal execution.

After the task is completed, open the original location of the folders to check the results. Focus on spot-checking the first, middle, and last items in the list to confirm that the leftmost 3 characters have been deleted and that the subsequent 8-digit number remains intact. After the example processing is completed, all 10 folders have changed from the "letters + numbers" format to a pure numeric format.

Why batch processing with office software is more efficient

The main cost of manually modifying folder names is not just the input action itself, but also repeatedly locating the names, selecting characters, confirming modifications, and checking for omissions. The greater the number of names, the more likely such repetitive steps will take up working time. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , as batch file processing software for office scenarios, can first centrally add target records and then uniformly set deletion rules, allowing the same rule to automatically apply to multiple folders.

The value of this method is mainly reflected in three aspects: first, it reduces the mechanical operations caused by renaming one by one; second, it ensures that the same batch of folders executes the same rule, reducing the probability of inconsistent formats; third, before processing, you can check names and paths through the list, making it easier to detect mistakenly selected records. For work such as administrative archiving, project material organization, financial directory cleanup, and enterprise file standardization, batch processing is more suitable for highly repetitive tasks than manual operation.

Common questions and precautions

Is the deletion quantity calculated by bytes or by visible characters

Judging from the function interface and the processing method in this example, it should be understood as the number of text characters in the folder name. In this example, the beginning is the three letters ABC, so the quantity is entered as 3. In actual operation, whether what you need to delete is letters, numbers, or Chinese characters, you should first count the characters to be removed one by one according to the target name.

The prefix content of each folder is different. Can they be processed together

Yes, provided that the content to be deleted is all located on the far left and the number of characters is the same. In this example, the contents such as ABC, BCD, and DEF are not identical, but they are all three-letter combinations, so they can be uniformly deleted. If some prefixes are 2 characters and some are 4 characters, they should be processed in separate groups first to avoid damaging valid names.

How to avoid name conflicts after renaming

After deleting prefixes, different folders may end up with the same name. For example, "ABC20240101" and "DEF20240101" will both become "20240101" after the first three characters are deleted. Before formal processing, you should check whether the retained parts are unique. If duplicates exist, it is recommended to adjust the naming scheme first or process them in separate directories.

Do I need to back up before the operation

Batch renaming will affect multiple folders at the same time. For important materials, it is recommended to keep a backup first, or verify the rules with a small number of copies. In particular, note that some folder paths may be referenced by shortcuts, scripts, synchronization tasks, or other business software. After the names change, the original path references may need to be updated simultaneously.

Can it be used to delete file extensions

This article introduces folder name processing. Folders usually do not have file extensions such as doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, or pdf. If you need to batch modify file names or process Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents, you should enter the corresponding file name or document tool category in the software, and do not mix the folder name function with file extension processing.

Summary

The key to batch deleting a fixed number of characters from the left side of folder names is to first identify the naming pattern, then select "Delete Text from Folder Names", add the target folders to the list, and set "Leftmost few characters" and the correct quantity in the processing options. After entering 3 in this example, names such as "ABC20240101" can be uniformly converted to "20240101".

Compared with renaming one by one manually, HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can turn repetitive operations into a single rule setting, and is especially suitable for processing tasks with a large number of structurally consistent folders. It is recommended that in actual use, you first back up important directories, check names and paths, and verify the results with a small number of samples; after confirming that the rules are correct, you can begin batch processing to improve the efficiency of organizing office materials.