How to batch delete English letters in folder names and keep only the numeric identifiers

When a large number of folders use the "English name + numeric number" naming method, and only the numbers need to be retained when archiving, importing into a system, or delivering materials, you can use office software to delete all English letters from the folder names at once. This article uses folders such as Alpha001 and ClientReport03 as examples to introduce how to add the directories to be processed through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "all English letters", verify the records, and execute batch processing, while also explaining considerations such as duplicate names, empty names, and sorting changes.

Organizing project files, client archives, photo directories, or system-exported data often involves a batch of folders named in an "English word + numeric ID" format, such as Alpha001, Beta202, ClientReport03, and DesignDraft004. If a downstream system only recognizes numeric IDs, or if delivery standards require removing the English prefix, renaming them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to missed changes, accidental deletion of digits, or incorrect IDs.

The problem addressed in this article is: batch-deleting all English letters from many folder names while preserving other characters such as digits in the original names. The operation uses the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". It is designed for batch processing of files and folders, allowing repetitive manual operations to be completed centrally, making it suitable for office users who need to organize dozens or hundreds of directories at once.

1. Applicable Scenarios

This processing method is suitable for folder names that contain both English characters and numeric IDs that need to be preserved. Common use cases include:

• Project archiving: Convert directories such as ProjectArchive99 and DesignDraft004 into 99 and 004 to facilitate archiving by project number.
• Client data organization: Remove English descriptions such as Client, Customer, and Report, retaining only client codes or business numbers.
• Batch directory standardization: Rename folders such as ExportBatch55 and TempBackup1000 to 55 and 1000 for import into business systems that accept only numeric names.
• Photo and meeting material organization: Remove letters from names such as HolidayPhotos77 and MeetingNotes808 while preserving the original sequence numbers.
• Historical data migration: When old directories use English prefixes and a new system requires purely numeric IDs, names can be cleaned up in batches before migration.

What is processed here is the folder name, not deleting the folder or deleting the file contents inside the folder. As shown in the screenshots, the software performs text-deletion operations on the names of the records that have been added. Therefore, before starting, you should carefully confirm that the directories to be processed and the deletion type are correct.

2. Preview of Results: What Changes Before and After Processing

1. Folder Names Before Processing

Before processing, the example directory contains 10 folders whose names include English words of varying lengths and numeric IDs, such as Alpha001, Beta202, ClientReport03, DesignDraft004, ExportBatch55, FinanceData606, HolidayPhotos77, MeetingNotes808, ProjectArchive99, and TempBackup1000.

Although these names are easy for people to understand, if a business system requires directory names to contain only digits, the A-Z and a-z English letters in them need to be removed. When editing manually, the English portions of different names have inconsistent lengths, so it is difficult to complete the task by simply deleting a fixed number of characters; selecting "all English letters" is more suitable for this scenario.

2. Folder Names After Processing

After batch processing is completed, the English letters in the names are removed, while the numeric parts remain. In the screenshot, results such as 001, 03, 004, 55, 77, 99, 202, 606, 808, and 1000 can be seen.

For example, Alpha001 becomes 001 after processing, ClientReport03 becomes 03, DesignDraft004 becomes 004, and TempBackup1000 becomes 1000. Note that File Explorer may reorder folders according to the current sorting rules, so the display order after processing does not necessarily correspond line by line to the order before processing. When checking the results, verify the preserved IDs rather than simply comparing positions in the list.

3. Steps for Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool

Step 1: Enter the "Delete Text from Folder Names" Feature

Open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . In the left navigation bar, select "Folder Names". The main interface will display a number of batch tools related to folder renaming, including find and replace, insert text, add prefix/suffix, case conversion, and more.

The goal this time is not to replace a specific fixed English word, but to delete all English letters appearing in the names, so select "Delete Text from Folder Names".

The purpose of this step is to enter the workflow specifically for deleting characters from folder names. After entering, the page top displays the current feature name and guides you through the sequence of "select records to process - set processing options - set save location - start processing".

Step 2: Batch-Add the Folders to Be Processed

In the first section, click "Add Folder" to add the directories to be renamed to the record list. The table in the screenshot shows information such as sequence number, name, path, creation time, modification time, and actions, with 10 records added in total.

After adding, do not rush to the next step. It is recommended to first verify the scope:

1. Check the "Name" column to confirm that the listed folders are indeed those whose English letters should be deleted.
2. Check the "Path" column to avoid confusing test directories, production directories, or directories with the same name.
3. Check the record count at the bottom to confirm whether the actual number matches the expected number.
4. If an item was added by mistake, use the delete action on the right side of that record to remove it from the task list.

In the example screenshot, the listed names such as Alpha001, Beta202, and ClientReport03 are consistent with the directories in File Explorer before processing, indicating that the processing scope has been correctly established. After confirmation, click "Next" at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Set the Operation Type to "All English Letters"

After entering "Set Processing Options", the page provides multiple deletion scopes, such as all digits, all whitespace, all Chinese characters, all content, the leftmost several characters, the rightmost several characters, everything between two texts, a position range, and everything to the left or right of a certain text.

In this example, digits need to be preserved and only English characters deleted, so select "All English Letters".

This option is suitable for situations where the positions and lengths of English letters in the names are not fixed. Regardless of whether letters appear before, in the middle of, or after the digits, the task goal is to remove English characters rather than truncate by a fixed length. After selecting, confirm again that the radio button is set to "All English Letters", and then click "Next".

Do not mistakenly select "All Content", otherwise the operation will no longer delete only letters. Also do not select "Leftmost Several Characters", because the English parts such as Alpha, ClientReport, and DesignDraft have different lengths, and deleting the same number of characters cannot produce consistent results.

Step 4: Configure Subsequent Options According to the Interface Guide

The top of the software workflow shows that after setting processing options, there are still two stages: "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". After entering the next page, confirm the processing location or save-related settings according to the actual prompts in the interface. Because batch modification involves multiple directory records, it is recommended to check the task scope again before formal processing and ensure that important directories have available backups.

After completing the relevant settings, continue to the "Start Processing" stage. Before starting the task, focus on confirming three things: the processing target is folder names, the deletion type is all English letters, and the record count matches expectations. Once confirmed, execute the batch processing and wait for the software to complete the task.

Step 5: Return to the Directory to Verify the Batch Renaming Results

After processing is complete, open the original directory in File Explorer or refresh the current window to check whether the folder names have changed to the expected digits. It is recommended to spot-check records with shorter names, longer names, and leading zeros, for example:

• Whether Alpha001 has become 001;
• Whether ClientReport03 has become 03;
• Whether DesignDraft004 has become 004;
• Whether ProjectArchive99 has become 99;
• Whether TempBackup1000 has become 1000.

Leading zeros may be an important part of a business ID. For example, 001 and 1 may represent different codes in some systems, so when checking, confirm that the zeros are fully preserved. In the example results, 001, 03, and 004 all retain their original numeric formats.

4. Why Batch Processing Is More Efficient Than Renaming One by One

If there are only two or three folders, manual editing is still feasible; but as the number of directories increases, repeatedly pressing F2, selecting letters, deleting, and confirming creates a large amount of repetitive clicking. The more complex the names, the higher the probability of selecting the wrong characters.

By using office software for batch processing, you can first add all folders in a unified way and then process all records with the same rule. The value of this is not only saving operation time, but also keeping the naming rules consistent. Especially in financial materials, project archives, client data, and batch export directories, consistency is often more important than speed alone.

In addition, "delete all English letters" is different from replacing a specific English word. If folder prefixes include various content such as Alpha, Beta, ClientReport, and FinanceData, creating replacement rules one by one is still very tedious; deleting directly by character type allows one rule to cover different English words and different letter lengths.

5. Common Questions and Precautions

1. Will deleting English letters also delete digits

In this example, "All English Letters" is selected, so the target is English characters, and digits should continue to be preserved. The key is not to mistakenly select "All Digits" or "All Content". Before execution, verify the selected item on the processing options page.

2. What happens if the folder name contains Chinese characters

This rule targets English letters. If a name is composed of a mixture of Chinese characters, English letters, and digits, test with a small number of copies first to confirm that the preserved Chinese characters and digits meet expectations. For example, after processing "项目Alpha001" according to the target rule, the expected result should preserve the non-English-letter parts, but the formal task should still be based on the actual results from the software.

3. What should be noted for purely English folder names

If a folder name consists entirely of English letters, deleting all letters may result in an unusable name. Therefore, before adding tasks, screen for purely English directories and do not mix them into the same batch as "English + ID" folders without checking.

4. What to do if duplicate names appear after deletion

Different original names may leave the same digits after removing the English parts. For example, both Alpha001 and Beta001 may point to 001. Renaming tasks usually cannot allow two folders in the same path to use exactly the same name. Before processing, check whether the numeric IDs are unique. If duplicates are found, process them in separate batches, or prepare a distinguishable naming scheme for the IDs in advance.

5. Why did the order change after processing

This is a common phenomenon caused by File Explorer sorting. After deleting the English letters, the sorting basis changes from English words to numeric strings, so items such as 03, 004, 55, and 202 may be rearranged. A change in order does not mean a processing error; verify according to the specific IDs.

6. Should I back up first

Batch renaming involves multiple real directories. It is recommended to first copy a small batch of samples to verify the rules and keep backups of important data. Especially if these directories are referenced by other documents, shortcuts, or business programs by path, name changes may affect existing access paths, so the related impact should be evaluated first.

6. Summary

The core workflow for batch-deleting English letters from folder names can be summarized as follows: open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , enter "Delete Text from Folder Names" under the "Folder Names" category, batch-add directories, verify names and paths, select "All English Letters", and then follow the interface guide to complete the save settings and start processing.

For folders such as Alpha001, ClientReport03, and DesignDraft004 with the pattern of "English description + numeric ID", this method can preserve IDs such as 001, 03, and 004, avoiding the repetitive labor of manual one-by-one renaming. It is recommended to first test with a small number of copies and check for purely English names, duplicate IDs, and path reference issues. After confirming that the results meet the requirements, add the remaining folders to the task and complete the formal batch processing.