Remove Text Rule

Unwanted prefixes or suffixes in your filenames? Batch delete specific content or clean up by position.

What This Feature Can Do for You

• Clean up camera exports: Tired of seeing IMG_ or DSC_ prefixes everywhere? Remove them all at once
• Remove date prefixes: Filenames starting with 20231201_ that you want to batch clean
• Delete version suffixes: Remove _v1.0, _final at the end of filenames
• Delete unwanted words: Batch remove words like Copy, Backup, (1) from filenames

Quick Start (3 Steps)

1. Click "Add Rule" button → Select "Remove"
2. Choose removal method:
   • Remove string: Enter the text you want to delete (e.g., IMG_)
   • Remove by position: Enter starting position and how many characters to delete (e.g., start at position 1, delete 9 characters)
   • Remove filename: Keep only the extension, delete entire filename (rarely used)
3. Preview first, then apply if everything looks correct to avoid accidentally messing up multiple files

Detailed Examples

Example 1: Remove a common prefix

❌ Original files: IMG_20231201.jpg, IMG_20231202.jpg, IMG_20231203.jpg... 😫 Problem: Camera exports a bunch of files with IMG_ prefix, want to remove them all

✅ Steps:

• Removal method: Select "Remove string"
• Remove: IMG_
• Scope: All (default)

✅ Result: 20231201.jpg, 20231202.jpg, 20231203.jpg...

Why this works: The string removal mode will delete all occurrences of IMG_ in one go, while the .jpg extension stays untouched.

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Example 2: Remove date prefix by position

❌ Original files: 20231201_report.pdf, 20231202_summary.pdf 😫 Problem: All filenames start with a date 20231201_ (9 characters), want to batch remove them

✅ Steps:

• Removal method: Select "Remove by position (closed interval)"
• From: 1
• Length: 9
• Count from right: Unchecked (count from left by default)

✅ Result: report.pdf, summary.pdf

Why this works: When you know the content to remove is always at the beginning and has the same length, position-based removal is more precise and avoids accidentally deleting the same content elsewhere in the filename.

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Example 3: Remove version number from the right

❌ Original files: document_v1.0.docx, report_final.docx 😫 Problem: Filenames end with version numbers _v1.0 (5 characters) or _final (6 characters), want to remove them (assuming all are 5 characters)

✅ Steps:

• Removal method: Select "Remove by position (closed interval)"
• From: 1
• Length: 5
• Count from right: Checked

✅ Result: document.docx (removed _v1.0)

Why this works: Counting from the right is better for removing content at the end of filenames - no need to calculate positions from the left, much more intuitive.

Parameters to Fill In

Basic Settings

• Removal Method Choose how you want to delete:
  • Remove string: Enter specific text to delete (e.g., IMG_, Copy)
  • Remove by position (closed interval): Enter starting position and number of characters to delete
  • Remove filename: Completely remove the filename part, keep only extension (rarely used)

If you selected "Remove string"

• Remove The text you want to delete, like IMG_, Copy, Backup (This cannot be empty, otherwise nothing will be deleted)

If you selected "Remove by position (closed interval)"

• From Starting position, minimum is 1 (first character) (A live preview shows below: how 1234567890 will change)

• Length How many characters to delete, minimum is 1 (e.g., enter 5 to delete 5 characters)

Advanced Options (Optional, defaults work fine)

• Scope (only for string removal) By default, all matches in the filename will be deleted. If you only want to delete the first or last occurrence, select here:

  • All (default): Delete all matches
  • First: Only delete first occurrence
  • Last: Only delete last occurrence

• Case sensitive (only for string removal) Unchecked by default, both IMG and img will be deleted. When checked, IMG and img are treated as different words.

• Count from right (only for position removal) Unchecked by default, position counts from the first character on the left. When checked, position counts from the first character on the right (suitable for removing content at the end of filenames).

• Ignore extension Checked by default, only processes the filename part, leaving .jpg, .png extensions untouched. If you really need to delete content in the extension, uncheck this option.

FAQ

❓ How do I delete a specific piece of text?

Method 1 (Quick): Select "Remove string", enter what you want to delete in the "Remove" field.

Example: Delete Copy from filenames

• Removal method: Remove string
• Remove: Copy

Method 2 (More precise): If the content to remove is at a fixed position (like first 9 characters, or last 5 characters), use "Remove by position (closed interval)" to avoid accidental deletions.

❓ Position removal not working correctly?

1. Check left vs right counting

   • Unchecked "Count from right": Position 1 is the first character (from left)
   • Checked "Count from right": Position 1 is the last character (from right)

2. Use the live preview After entering "From" and "Length", the interface shows how 1234567890 will change - check if it matches your expectation.

3. Make sure "Ignore extension" is checked If unchecked, position calculation includes the .jpg extension, making it easy to miscalculate.

❓ Extension got deleted?

Make sure "Ignore extension" is checked (it's checked by default). This way, removal only affects the filename part, and .jpg, .png extensions are automatically protected.

If you actually need to delete content in the extension (like changing .jpeg to .jpg), you can temporarily uncheck this option.

❓ String removal not working?

1. Check if the text to delete is correct Copy and paste the actual content from the filename to avoid typos or extra spaces

2. Try unchecking "Case sensitive" Maybe you entered img, but the filename has IMG

3. Check for invisible characters Some filenames contain special spaces or symbols that are invisible to the eye

4. Check the scope setting If you selected "First" or "Last", it might have only deleted part of the matches - try changing to "All"

Pro Tips

• ✅ Combine with Insert Text: First remove old prefix (like IMG_), then add new prefix (like 2024-Trip-)
• ✅ Combine with Find & Replace: First remove large chunks of unwanted content, then use find & replace to fine-tune the rest
• ✅ Combine with Sequence Generator: After removing original numbering (like 001-), regenerate uniform sequence numbers
• ✅ Multiple position removals: For complex filenames, you can remove different positions multiple times - positions recalculate after each removal

What to Check Out Next?

• Insert Text: Add new text at specified positions after removing content
• Find & Replace: If content to remove is irregular, use replace to delete (replace with empty)
• Clean Invalid Characters: Clean up extra spaces or special characters that may appear after removal
• Sequence Generator: Regenerate uniform sequence numbers after removing original numbering