Batch delete the text on the right side of the specified folder name: rename method for retaining marker words

When a large number of folder names contain fixed marker words, and the right side of the marker words still has unnecessary status suffixes such as Final, Release, Archive, and Done, renaming them one by one is both time-consuming and prone to omissions. This article uses END as an example to introduce how to use the "Delete text from folder names" feature of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch delete all content to the right of the specified text while retaining the marker words themselves, and explains how to add folders, set rules, check results, and avoid name conflicts.

During project archiving, material handover, design version organization, or business folder cleanup, you often encounter a batch of folder names with similar structures but different trailing content. For example, folders might be named Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final, Build_START_debugInfo_END_Release, and Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive. These names all contain the fixed text "END", but to its right they also carry status information such as Final, Release, Archive, Approved, Paid, and Done.

If the archiving specification requires names to end uniformly with "END", manually deleting the suffix to the right one by one is not only highly repetitive, but can also lead to missing characters, accidentally removing marker words, or failing to rename folders properly. For this scenario, you can use the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to add multiple folders at once, and then use the "Delete text from folder names" feature to batch-delete all content to the right of a specified text. This article uses actual screenshots to explain how to keep "END" while clearing the characters to its right.

1. Applicable scenarios: which folder names can be processed this way

This batch renaming method is suitable for folders whose names contain a consistent delimiter and where all content to the right of that delimiter needs to be deleted. Common use cases include:

• Project material archiving: remove stage descriptions such as Draft, Final, Archive, and Done from the end of folder names.
• Design version organization: keep the main project name and the consistent ending marker while clearing review statuses such as Approved and Edited.
• Department material standardization: batch-remove personnel, department, or workflow status suffixes from folder names.
• Batch directory cleanup: starting from a fixed keyword, delete all characters to its right regardless of their inconsistent lengths.
• Historical directory renaming: when the suffixes on the right differ from one another, there is no need to enter each type of text to be deleted separately.

Please note that what is being processed here is the folder name, not the files inside the folder, nor the folder itself. The software performs a batch rename operation, and the existing Word, docx, doc, Excel, xlsx, PDF, image, and other materials inside the directory will not be altered by this name-processing rule.

2. Effect preview: what changes before and after processing

1. Before processing: different suffixes exist to the right of END

In the following image, the ten folders all have similar naming structures, but the content to the right of "END" is inconsistent, including Final, Release, Archive, Clean, Approved, Paid, Public, Edited, Report, and Done.

Taking a few of the names as examples:

• Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final
• Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive
• Design_START_oldVersion_END_Approved
• Task_START_removeThis_END_Done

The goal this time is not to delete the entire "END" part, but to use "END" as the anchor text and clear only the content to its right. Therefore, when configuring the settings, special attention should be paid to the "Include this text" switch.

2. After processing: names uniformly end with END

After processing is complete, suffixes such as Final, Release, and Archive are all deleted, while the anchor text "END" is still retained, making the folder names neat and consistent.

The corresponding changes are as follows:

• Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final → Backup_START_tempFiles_END
• Build_START_debugInfo_END_Release → Build_START_debugInfo_END
• Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive → Client_START_2024Draft_END
• Task_START_removeThis_END_Done → Task_START_removeThis_END

The advantage of this type of rule is that whether the content on the right is a single word, multiple characters, or of varying lengths, it can all be batch-processed using the same anchor text, without the need to create separate renaming rules for each suffix.

3. Steps: batch-delete all content to the right of a specified text

Step 1: Open the "Delete text from folder names" feature

Open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , and in the left feature category select Folder Name. After entering the corresponding tool page, find and click Delete text from folder names.

The purpose of selecting this feature is to apply a unified deletion rule to the names of multiple folders. It is suitable for deleting numbers, whitespace, content at specified positions, and in this example, "all content to the right of a specified text". If the need is to clear arbitrary suffixes to the right of a fixed marker, do not choose the ordinary find-and-replace feature, otherwise you may only be able to delete known text and cannot cover all the different suffixes.

Step 2: Batch-add the folders that need to be renamed

After entering the feature, you are currently at the "Select records to process" stage. Click Add Folder in the upper right corner of the page to add the directories to be processed to the list. In the screenshot, ten folders have already been added, and the table displays information such as sequence number, name, path, creation time, and modification time.

After adding, you should first check the following:

1. Confirm that the folders in the list are indeed within the scope of this renaming task.
2. Check the "Name" column to confirm that every name contains the anchor text used for positioning, such as "END".
3. Check the "Path" column to avoid adding directories with similar names but different purposes to the task.
4. If a folder was added by mistake, you can use the delete icon in that row's "Actions" area to remove it from the task list.

The bottom of the list shows a record count of 10, indicating that this time the same rule will be applied to ten folders. After confirming everything is correct, click Next at the bottom.

Step 3: Select "All content to the right of a specified text"

After entering "Configure processing options", in the "Operation type" area select All content to the right of a specified text. This option means that the software first locates the specified text in the folder name, and then deletes all characters to the right of that text.

In the "Text" input box, enter the content used for positioning. In this example, END is entered. After configuration, the software will process the folder names in the list according to the logic of "locate END—delete all content to its right".

In the screenshot, the Include this text switch is off, so this operation will only delete the content to the right of END, while END itself will be retained. That is, Project_START_alpha_END_Report will become Project_START_alpha_END, rather than Project_START_alpha_.

This is the most critical step in the entire operation. If the actual requirement is to delete the anchor text as well, the rule would be different from the example in this article; if the goal is to keep the marker word, then keep the "Include this text" switch off as shown in the screenshot.

Step 4: Continue configuration and start processing

After completing the operation type, text, and switch settings, click Next. According to the workflow prompts at the top of the page, the subsequent stages are "Set save location" and "Start processing". Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the save-related settings, confirm the processing targets and rules once more before officially executing, and then enter the start-processing stage.

After processing is complete, it is recommended to return to File Explorer immediately to check the results, focusing on three points: first, whether END is retained; second, whether all suffixes to the right of END have been deleted; and third, whether the folder contents can still be opened normally. For a large number of directories, you can first select a small sample for a trial run, and then expand the processing scope after verifying the rule.

4. Frequently asked questions and precautions

1. Why do you need to enter a complete and accurate anchor text

Batch rules rely on the input text to determine where to delete. If the actual name uses "END", then it should be entered exactly as it appears in the original name. If the folder contains different forms such as End, end, or END_, do not assume they will produce the same result. It is recommended to first check the name format uniformly, or process them in batches according to the different forms.

2. Should "Include this text" be on or off

If you want the result to still retain END, keep the switch off. If the business goal is different and END also needs to be removed, reconfigure the option according to the interface and run a sample test first. The screenshots in this article show the approach of retaining the anchor text and deleting the content to its right.

3. What if the folder name does not contain END

A name without the anchor text cannot have its deletion starting point determined according to the "right of END" rule. Before adding the task, you should first browse the list and move directories that do not match the naming structure out of this batch, so as to avoid mixing folders with different rules in the same process.

4. Can duplicate names occur after batch renaming

It is possible. For example, if "Project_END_Draft" and "Project_END_Final" both exist in the same path, after deleting the content to the right of END, both may become "Project_END". Therefore, before execution, you must check whether there is a risk of duplicate names after processing within the same parent directory. If necessary, organize them in batches, or adjust the main name first to ensure the result is unique.

5. Why is it recommended to back up first or test on a small batch

The efficiency of batch processing comes from applying a unified rule at once, but an incorrect rule can also affect multiple names at the same time. For formal projects, customer materials, or long-term archive directories, it is recommended to back up first and verify with two or three copies. After confirming that the anchor text, switch status, and results fully meet expectations, process all folders.

6. Will the delimiter be deleted automatically

In this example, all content to the right of END is deleted, while the original structure to the left of END is retained. Whether an underscore, hyphen, or space remains depends on which side of the anchor text the delimiter is on. Therefore, when setting the anchor text, you should make a judgment based on the final name you want to retain, rather than focusing only on the word itself.

5. Summary

To batch-delete all content to the right of a specified text in many folder names, the core process can be summarized as follows: open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , go to the "Folder Name" category, select "Delete text from folder names", batch-add the target directories, select "All content to the right of a specified text", enter the anchor text END, turn off "Include this text" if END should be retained, and then follow the workflow to complete the configuration and start processing.

Compared with opening the rename box one by one, manually selecting the suffix, and then deleting it, this batch processing method can significantly reduce repetitive operations, and is especially suitable for dozens or hundreds of project directories with consistent structures. It is recommended that in actual operation you first check the naming patterns and duplicate-name risks, then test with a small number of folders; after confirming the results are correct, you can apply the unified rule to the complete directory list.