How to batch remove Chinese prefixes from folder names? Operation method to keep the original numeric code

Many project directories use names like "Report 03, Client 202, Design 004" with Chinese labels and numeric codes, but during data import, numbering and archiving, or automated processing, it is often necessary to remove the Chinese prefixes. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to demonstrate a batch folder renaming method: add multiple directory records, choose to delete text from folder names, and set the operation type to "All Chinese characters," which preserves the original numbers such as 03, 202, and 004 while reducing omissions and errors caused by modifying them one by one.

To facilitate daily identification, many departments add Chinese descriptions before the numbers, such as "报告03", "客户202", "设计004", and "会议808". This naming method is intuitive for manual lookup, but when directories need to be imported into an archive platform, read by scripts, or submitted according to purely numeric coding, Chinese prefixes may fail to meet requirements. If you rename them one by one at this time, not only are the steps repetitive, but it is also easy to mistakenly write "001" as "01", or miss an item among a large number of directories.

The problem solved in this article is very clear: batch-remove Chinese characters from many folder names while preserving the original numeric codes. The operation is completed using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . This is office software designed for batch processing office files and directories, suitable for applying a rule to multiple records at once, thereby reducing mechanical renaming work.

1. Situations suitable for batch removal of Chinese prefixes

As long as folder names contain Chinese characters that are no longer needed, and other numbering needs to be retained, you can refer to the method in this article. Common applications include the following categories.

• Standardizing archive numbers: Change "归档99" and "报告03" into "99" and "03" to meet pure-number archiving requirements.
• Standardizing project directories: Change "项目001" and "设计004" into fixed-length "001" and "004".
• Migrating customer or meeting materials: Process "客户202" and "会议808" into numbers recognizable by the system.
• Cleaning backup directories: Remove Chinese labels from names such as "备份1000", retaining the batch number "1000".
• Reading by automated programs: When programs depend on numeric directory names, remove Chinese characters in advance to reduce difficulty in subsequent matching.

This article deals with folder names, not modifying the contents of Word documents, docx, doc, Excel spreadsheets, xlsx files, PPT, PDF, or images inside folders. Before operating, you should distinguish between the two types of needs: "renaming directories" and "editing document content".

2. Preview of batch renaming effects

Before processing: Chinese labels mixed with numbers

In the sample directory, ten folders to be organized can be seen: "报告03", "备份1000", "财务606", "导出55", "归档99", "会议808", "客户202", "设计004", "项目001", and "照片77". The Chinese part is used to explain the purpose, while the numeric part serves as the numbering function.

This time, the goal is not to delete one fixed word. For example, deleting only "报告" cannot handle different prefixes such as "财务", "导出", and "归档". Therefore, rather than filling in each word to delete one by one, it is more appropriate to delete all Chinese characters uniformly by character type.

After processing: Chinese disappears and the original numbers are retained

After batch processing is completed, the directory names are displayed as pure numeric codes such as "001", "03", "004", "55", "77", "99", "202", "606", "808", and "1000". The correspondence has not changed; for example, "报告03" becomes "03", "财务606" becomes "606", and "客户202" becomes "202".

Special attention should be paid to numbers with leading zeros such as "001" and "004". Judging from the sample results, the leading zeros still exist, which helps maintain consistent code length. As for the display position after processing, it may change because directories are re-sorted by name, and this does not mean that the software has changed the correspondence between numbers.

3. Specific operation steps

Step 1: Select "Delete text in folder names"

After starting HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , enter "Folder Names" in the left navigation. The right side will display various batch processing functions related to folder names, including find and replace, insert text, add prefix and suffix, case conversion, and delete text.

Click "Delete text in folder names". This function directly corresponds to the current need: first select a batch of folders, then set the type of text to delete, and the software will execute name processing in batches. When selecting the entry, check the function name to avoid entering unrelated pages such as "Add prefix and suffix to folder names".

Step 2: Batch-add the folders to be renamed

After entering the task page, the process first stays at "Select records to be processed". Click "Add Folders" in the upper right and select the directories whose Chinese names need to be removed. After successful addition, each folder will appear as a record in the table.

The list in the screenshot shows ten records and lists the name, full path, creation time, and modification time. The value of the table is not only to display the quantity, but more importantly to allow users to review the processing scope uniformly before executing the batch task.

It is recommended to check the "Path" column item by item. For example, the folders in the screenshot are located in the same test directory, and the paths correspond to the names. In actual use, if folders with the same name are distributed in different locations, it is even more necessary to judge whether they are selected correctly through the full path. If a record that should not be processed is found, you can use the delete marker in that row's operation area to remove it from the list; if reselection is needed, you can clear the current records and then add them again.

After confirming that the number of records, folder names, and paths are all correct, click "Next" at the bottom. The expected result of this step is to enter the rule settings page, not to modify names immediately, so there is still an opportunity to check the deletion conditions.

Step 3: Set the operation type to "All Chinese characters"

On the "Set processing options" page, the software provides multiple operation types. To delete all Chinese in the names, select "All Chinese characters".

This selection is suitable for directories whose Chinese content is not uniform. Whether the prefix is "报告", "备份", or "财务", or "客户", "设计", or "项目", as long as it belongs to Chinese characters, it will be included in the current deletion rule; numeric codes are not the deletion target of this rule.

Pay special attention to adjacent options when setting. "All numbers" will delete the codes, which does not meet the goal of preserving numeric coding; "All content" may cause folders to lose usable names; "The leftmost several texts" is suitable for fixed-length content, but the lengths of the Chinese prefixes in the example are not completely consistent, so it is also not as direct as "All Chinese characters". After confirming that the round option is set to "All Chinese characters", click "Next".

Step 4: Complete the save settings and execute processing

The complete process shown at the top of the page includes "Select records to be processed", "Set processing options", "Set save location", and "Start processing". After completing the Chinese character deletion rule, continue following the interface order to enter the save location settings, and then proceed to the start processing stage to execute the task.

Before starting, it is recommended to confirm two key points again: first, the target records are indeed the folders that need to be renamed; second, the current option is indeed "All Chinese characters". Batch functions can significantly improve efficiency, but they can also affect multiple records at once, so the final review is very important.

Step 5: Return to the directory to verify the results

After the task ends, open the original directory to check whether all Chinese has been deleted and confirm that the numeric codes are intact. You can prioritize checking three types of names: ordinary two-digit numbers, such as "55" and "77"; three-digit numbers with leading zeros, such as "001" and "004"; and four-digit numbers, such as "1000". If these typical records all meet expectations, then check the total number of folders.

4. Why batch processing is more suitable than manual renaming

Manual renaming seems simple, but each folder requires actions such as selecting, entering rename mode, deleting Chinese, and confirming. The more directories there are, the more repetitive steps there are. More importantly, manual work requires repeatedly judging how many characters should be deleted, while the Chinese lengths of different names may differ. For example, "报告" and "备份" each have two characters, and "财务" also has two, but in actual business there may also be longer department or project names.

After setting a unified rule according to "All Chinese characters", there is no need to input each Chinese word separately or calculate prefix length. The office software can apply consistent processing to the records in the list, reducing problems such as missed changes and inconsistent deletion lengths. For users who need to regularly organize project batches, customer numbers, or archival directories, this batch method is especially suitable for forming a fixed workflow.

5. Common questions and precautions

1. Can Chinese be deleted if it is not at the very beginning of the name?

This article selects "All Chinese characters", not "The leftmost several texts". Judging from the meaning of the rule, it targets the Chinese character type in the name, not only the beginning position. Therefore, even if Chinese is located between numbers or at the end of the name, you should first test with a small number of samples and confirm that the actual results meet your needs before batch processing.

2. What happens to English in the names?

The current page lists "All Chinese characters" and "All English letters" as different operation types, so this time only the Chinese character rule is selected. If actual folders contain mixed English, numbers, and Chinese content, you should first clarify which characters need to be retained, and then test. Do not mix deleting Chinese characters with deleting English letters into one operation.

3. Why can't you directly delete the two characters on the left?

If all names strictly start with two Chinese characters, deleting a fixed number of characters from the left may achieve similar results. However, in actual directories, Chinese lengths are often inconsistent, and Chinese may also appear in other positions. Selecting "All Chinese characters" is closer to the goal of "deleting all Chinese", and also avoids fixed-length rules mistakenly deleting numbers or symbols.

4. What should be done if there is a risk of duplicate names after deletion?

The Chinese part sometimes plays a distinguishing role. For example, "报告03" and "照片03" exist in the same level of directories, and after deleting Chinese, both will become "03". Directories at the same level usually cannot use exactly the same name at the same time, so before execution you must check whether the retained numbers are unique. If conflicts are found, you can first modify the numbers, or place different categories in different directories for batch processing.

5. How should folders with only Chinese names be handled?

If the names are purely Chinese content such as "报告" or "财务", there will be no remaining characters after deleting all Chinese characters. It is recommended to first add valid numbers to such directories, and then add them to the batch task. For directories whose numbers cannot be confirmed, they should be temporarily excluded to avoid generating unusable new names.

6. Should the original directories be backed up?

Backup is recommended, especially when processing original project materials, financial data, customer files, or unique archives. You can first copy several representative folders and test the rules on the copies. After confirming that the Chinese deletion range, number retention, and sorting changes are all acceptable, then process the official data.

7. Will files inside the folders be renamed?

The currently selected function name is "Delete text in folder names", and the records shown in the added list are also folder records. Therefore, the operation target of this article is directory names, not the names of internal doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pptx, PDF, or image files. If you also need to organize internal file names, you should separately select the function corresponding to file names and verify the rules separately.

6. Checklist before batch organization

• Confirm that all target directories are allowed to have their Chinese descriptions removed.
• Confirm that the retained numeric codes will not be duplicated at the same level.
• Screen for directories that contain only Chinese and may become empty after deletion.
• Check whether leading zeros such as "001" and "004" must be retained.
• Back up important folders, or complete testing on copies first.
• After adding records, check the names, paths, and total number of records.
• For the operation type, select only "All Chinese characters", and do not mistakenly select "All numbers" or "All content".
• After processing is completed, check according to number correspondence, rather than only looking at sorting positions.

7. Summary

To batch-remove Chinese prefixes from folder names while retaining numeric codes, you can use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . The actual process is to enter "Folder Names", open "Delete text in folder names", add the target directories, select "All Chinese characters" in the processing options, and then complete the save settings according to the page flow and start processing.

Compared with renaming one by one, this method can apply the same rule to multiple folder records at once, and is especially suitable for the centralized organization of project numbers, customer archives, scan batches, and backup directories. Now you can first select a small number of directories for testing, confirm that results such as "报告03→03" and "项目001→001" are correct, and then add the complete folder list to the task, so as to complete batch standardization more safely.