Batch-replace PDF text with a keyword table
Short answer: Put the old text in column A and the new text in column B, save as Excel, import it in "Batch" mode, find all keywords at once, review and save the replacements to a new file. All replacements are based on the original text and run together, longer keywords win, and one replacement never triggers another.
Steps
- Prepare the tableIn Excel, column A is the text to find and column B the replacement, one pair per row. The first row can be a header. Format number cells as "Text" so leading zeros are kept.
- ImportUnder "Set keywords", switch to "Batch" and click "Import…" to choose the table. You can also copy two columns from Excel and paste them.
- Check the listThe edit window checks as you type and marks rows with errors in red, with the reason. "Check list…" shows how each row was parsed, in a table.
- FindClick "Find". Each scanned page is recognized once, then all keywords are searched together. The summary lists keywords that were not found.
- Review and saveCheck each match, untick any you do not want to replace, and click "Replace selected and save as…".
Example table
| Column A (find) | Column B (replace with) |
|---|---|
| Example Technology Co., Ltd. | Xinhe Data Co., Ltd. |
| 2025 edition | 2026 edition |
| Model A-100 | Model B-200 |
| Internal draft | (empty, meaning delete) |
The home-page demo used three rules of this kind (company name, edition year and model number) on a synthetic Chinese-language sample: 8 matches, all passed read-back verification.
Three replacement rules
- All at once, no chaining: every replacement is based on the original text. If you have both “A → B” and “B → C”, an original A becomes B and an original B becomes C.
- Longer keyword wins: when keywords overlap, the longer one is used. For example, with both “345 → 567” and “12345 → 345”, an original 12345 becomes 345 and an original 345 becomes 567. The 345 produced by a replacement is not changed again.
- Conflicts are errors: the same search term with two different replacements is reported as an error.
Processing a batch of files
To apply one keyword table to a whole folder, open “Batch process multiple files…”, add the folder, and choose the operation “Replace with current keywords”. Each file gets its own output, and a processing report is created at the end. The command-line equivalent:
PDFTextReplacer.exe --folder <input-folder> <output-folder> <keyword-table.xlsx>No table yet? Build one in the online keyword table editor and export it as CSV.
FAQ
Can the keyword table be CSV or TXT?
Yes. CSV is read using the standard rules. TXT uses one pair per line, separated by "=>" by default. See the keyword table format page for details.
Can the replacement be empty?
Yes. An empty replacement deletes the word.