How to batch remove folder prefixes? Keep the name on the right based on specified keywords

The prefixes of multiple folders vary in length but all contain the same keyword, making it unsuitable to delete by a fixed number of characters. This article introduces a batch renaming method based on keyword positioning: use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , with START as the delimiter, to delete prefixes such as Backup, Client, and Project on its left, while retaining START and the business name on the right. The article includes before-and-after comparisons, software operation steps, rule explanations, and considerations for batch renaming.

During the process of organizing files and materials, many folder names are not created according to the final archiving standards. They may carry export system names, project sources, operating personnel, temporary purposes, or old classification prefixes. For example, Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final and Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive have completely different beginnings, but both use START as the starting point of the valid name.

In such cases, the approach of "deleting a few characters from the left" is unreliable, because the lengths of prefixes such as Backup, Client, Invoice, and Project are inconsistent. A more suitable method is to locate a fixed keyword: find START, and then batch-delete all content to the left of START. This article will introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete this task, so that multiple folders can be uniformly named starting from START.

HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a batch-processing software designed for organizing files and office materials. For directory names with consistent rules and large quantities, it can turn repeated manual renaming actions into a single rule configuration, thereby reducing repetitive work and improving the efficiency of batch archiving and material delivery.

1. Which folder names are suitable for deleting prefixes by keyword

Clearing folder prefixes by keyword requires that a recognizable common text exists among multiple names. This common text serves as the deletion boundary: the left side of the boundary is the prefix to be cleaned up, while the boundary itself and its right side are the valid names that need to be retained.

Common applications include:

• Directories from different sources have channel names at the front, but all contain a unified project marker in the middle.
• Directories such as backups, builds, clients, designs, and invoices have English classification prefixes and need to be converted to a unified format.
• Folders from batch downloads or system exports contain temporary leading text, and only the content after the business keyword should be retained during formal archiving.
• After migrating historical projects, old system identifiers need to be removed without damaging the subsequent batch numbers, statuses, and version descriptions.
• Directory naming submitted by teams is inconsistent, and the goal is to re-standardize the names starting from a fixed delimiter word.

This method is especially suitable for situations where prefix lengths are inconsistent. It does not mechanically truncate a fixed number of characters from the left, but instead determines the deletion range based on the actual position of START in each name. Therefore, whether the left side is Backup, Build, or the longer Invoice, the same rule can be used as long as the same locating text is included.

2. Effect preview: from messy prefixes to unified names

Before processing: each folder has a different beginning

The following image shows the folder list before processing. All names contain START, but the left side of START contains Backup, Build, Client, Data, Design, Invoice, Notes, Photo, Project, and Task respectively.

These prefixes may have been useful during early classification, but they can affect sorting and retrieval once the materials enter the unified archiving stage. If each one is manually modified, you would need to find START in each name, then select and delete the content to its left. As the number increases, the following problems are likely to occur:

• Accidentally deleting the first letter of START, making the locating marker incomplete.
• Missing an underscore or keeping one extra character, causing inconsistent name formats.
• Deleting too large a range and damaging the batch number or status information on the right.
• Interrupting the process halfway and finding it difficult to confirm which directories have already been modified.

After processing: all names start from START

After executing the batch deletion, the prefixes of different lengths on the left are uniformly cleared, and START and the content to its right are retained.

For example, the names change as follows:

• Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive becomes START_2024Draft_END_Archive.
• Project_START_alpha_END_Report becomes START_alpha_END_Report.
• Invoice_START_batch001_END_Paid becomes START_batch001_END_Paid.
• Task_START_removeThis_END_Done becomes START_removeThis_END_Done.

It can be seen that the changes only occur on the left side of START. The following 2024Draft, alpha, batch001, removeThis, and the status text after END all remain unchanged.

3. Steps for batch-clearing folder prefixes using office software

Step 1: Select "Delete text in folder names"

Launch HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , and enter the "Folder Name" category in the left navigation area. The main interface will display multiple folder name processing functions, including find and replace, insert text, add prefix and suffix, case conversion, and delete text. The current task is to delete existing prefixes, so click "Delete text in folder names".

Choosing the correct function is very important. Find and replace is more suitable for replacing one explicit text with another; adding prefixes and suffixes is used to add content; while the goal of this article is to delete all characters to the left of START based on its position, so "Delete text in folder names" better matches the requirement.

Step 2: Batch-add the directories to be processed

After entering the function, click "Add Folder" and select the directories whose names need to be cleaned up. The software will display the selected records in a list, showing information such as name, path, creation time, and modification time.

The example task contains 10 folders. After adding them, do not immediately proceed to the next step. Instead, first check the names and paths in the list. The name check is used to confirm whether START exists, while the path check can avoid mistakenly selecting directories with the same name in other locations. If a record should not be included in the processing, you can remove it from the current task through the delete icon in that row's operation area.

Batch adding does not mean that data filtering can be ignored. A reasonable approach is to make the task list contain only directories that meet this rule. Folders that do not contain START, contain multiple STARTs, or have abnormal name structures can be handled separately first.

Step 3: Choose to locate the left-side content by a certain text

After confirming the task list, click "Next" to enter the processing options. This page provides multiple deletion methods, such as all numbers, all Chinese characters, all English letters, several characters at the far left or far right, content between two texts, position ranges, and content on the left or right side of a specified text.

For this task, select "All content to the left of a certain text". The meaning of this rule is: the software first finds the specified text in each folder name, and then deletes the characters located to its left.

Compared with "several characters at the far left", this rule is more suitable for this example, because the prefix lengths of different directories are not the same. If a fixed number of characters is used, it may work for Backup, but cannot correctly handle Invoice or Project.

Step 4: Enter the locating keyword START

Enter START in the required "Text" input box. The locating text must be consistent with the actual wording in the folder names. If the original name uses uppercase START, do not enter it as Start or start; if the locating text contains spaces before or after it, check it according to the actual naming situation.

When entering the content, it is recommended not to add an extra underscore unless you confirm that the underscore is also part of the unified locating boundary. In this example, directly using START can produce the result shown in the screenshot, that is, deleting the prefix before START while making the processed name start with START.

Step 5: Keep "Include this text" turned off

The "Include this text" option in the interface determines whether the deletion range is calculated together with START. In the example, the switch is off, so START will not be deleted.

Take Design_START_oldVersion_END_Approved as an example:

• When "Include this text" is off, the result is START_oldVersion_END_Approved.
• If the deletion range includes START, the starting point of the result will change and will no longer meet the goal of retaining START in this article.

Therefore, before clicking Next, check the operation type, text content, and inclusion option at the same time. The three together determine the final deletion boundary.

Step 6: Continue to set the save location and start processing

After completing the rule configuration, click "Next" at the bottom of the page. From the workflow at the top of the interface, you can see that the next step is to set the save location, and then enter the processing stage. Complete the subsequent settings according to the software wizard, confirm that the task parameters are correct, and then execute the batch processing.

Before processing, it is recommended to record one or two original names and the expected results. For example, write the expected result of Photo_START_rawSet_END_Edited as START_rawSet_END_Edited. After completion, use this as a verification sample to quickly determine whether the rule has taken effect correctly.

Step 7: Check the names in the original directory or result location

After the task is completed, check the folder list and confirm that all names matching the rule start from START. In addition to checking whether the prefix has disappeared, also verify whether the text on the right has been truncated, whether the materials inside the folders are still complete, and whether related workflows need to update directory paths.

4. How to choose deletion rules during batch renaming

Folder name cleanup has many different requirements. When choosing a rule, the decision should be based on the name structure, rather than just looking at the word "delete".

• Fixed prefix character count: consider processing by several characters at the far left.
• Different prefix lengths but a common keyword: "All content to the left of a certain text" is suitable.
• Need to delete the part between two markers: choose the content between two texts.
• Only want to delete numbers or letters in the name: use the character type options provided in the interface.
• Need to retain or delete the locating word: control the boundary through "Include this text".

The key characteristics of this example are: different prefix lengths, a fixed START, and all content to the right of START retained. Therefore, locating by text is more reliable than processing by character count.

5. Common questions and precautions

1. Why check first whether START is included?

The locating text is the basis for the rule to take effect. If a directory does not contain START, the software cannot identify the left-side content according to the same boundary. To obtain consistent results, folders that do not match the structure should first be excluded from the task, or another set of rules should be created for them.

2. What should be done if some directories are still not processed correctly after entering START?

Check whether spaces, full-width characters, or letters with different capitalization are mixed into the names. Text that looks similar to the naked eye may actually contain different characters. It is recommended to copy the locating word from the original name for verification, but avoid copying unnecessary spaces along with it.

3. Why does the sorting order change after processing?

File Explorer usually sorts by name. After deleting prefixes such as Backup, Build, and Client, the sorting basis will become the text after START, so the display order may differ from before processing. This is usually not a processing error, but a normal sorting result after the names change.

4. Will renaming folders affect internal files?

This task targets folder names, not batch modification of the names of internal docx, doc, xlsx, xls, pptx, ppt, pdf, image, or text files. However, after folder paths change, shortcuts, hyperlinks, scripts, or other system configurations that reference the old paths may need to be adjusted accordingly.

5. Should a backup be made first?

For important materials, it is recommended to back them up first, or first copy a small number of directories for testing. Especially when the names will be called by business systems, testing and backup can reduce the impact of path changes.

6. Can a large number of folders be added at once?

The value of this tool lies precisely in batch processing, but the more items are added, the more important preliminary checking becomes. You can first process a small batch of representative names, confirm the results, and then expand the scope. For directories with different structures, it is better to divide them into multiple tasks and set rules separately.

6. Summary

When multiple folders have prefixes of different lengths but all contain the same keyword, locating by specified text is a more practical batch renaming method. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , enter "Delete text in folder names", add the directories to be processed, select "All content to the left of a certain text", enter START, and turn off "Include this text". This will delete all prefixes to the left of START while retaining START and the business name to its right.

This operation does not require calculating character counts one by one, nor does it require repeated manual editing. It is suitable for project archiving, batch directory organization, and historical material migration. It is recommended to select two or three folders now to create a test task. After verifying that the results meet expectations, batch-add the remaining directories to complete the unified renaming.