This is a continuation of the post started September 01, 2009, with the last post on October 17, 2011 named File name too long cannot copy Since this is an ongoing unsolved issue, and the thread was locked, it continues here. It is ever so easy to create a long file/path using explorer.exe as will be shown below. What needs to be solved is, what is an easy way (no, not by listing out all the files in a directory to a text file and counting characters), perhaps using a shell extension, to find out which files in a directory and it's subdirectories will be (or were) too long to copy, (and then perhaps even copying those over either intact or renamed)? Maflagulator said: I'm running the 7100 build...enjoying it except for one big thing: While attempting to copy 402gb from my main storage volume onto a spare 500gb drive (for the purpose of changing to a new RAID array) I've come across something that I would expect a Windows 98 OS to give me. It tells me that a file has TOO LONG of a file name, then provides with two unhelpful options: SKIP or CANCEL I never had XP give me an issue like this at all, so what gives? And while some specific files did have long file names (such as for songs, etc.) it had 7 issues with folders stating that their name was too long, but in fact they were not since they were titled '07-06-07' for the date that I dumped the audio files in them. However, they may have contained FILES with long file names though. Anyone else get this same situation? Perhaps the RTM version does not do this? Can anyone verify this regarding their install of the RC or the RTM? It made it through 400gb out of the 402gb transfer. I'm just happy to see that it doesn't spazz out about an issue like this until it has done all the other transfers that it can do because it saves the issues it has with files until the very end. In XP it would spazz about it the moment it came across it causing the transfer process to halt. Since long path/file names can so easily be created on Win7, it might be useful to see a typical way this happens, which might then give clues how to work with them. In Windows Vista, we learnt from: File names and file name extensions: frequently asked questions that: Windows usually limits file names to 260 characters. But the file name must actually be shorter than that, since the complete path (such as C:\Program Files\filename.txt) is included in this character count. In Windows 7, we are told here: File names and file name extensions: frequently asked questions that: It depends on the length of the complete path to the file (such as C:\Program Files\filename.txt). Windows limits a single path to 260 characters. This is why you might occasionally get an error when copying a file with a very long file name to a location that has a longer path than the file's original location. From the Windows Dev Center - Desktop, we read about Maximum Path Length Limitation here: Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces This helps us understand why a folder can be a maximum of 244 characters, from the defined 260 length of MAX_PATH as follows: 260 minus C:\ (3) minus <NUL> (1) = 256 256 minus 8.3 file name (12) = 244 We also learn there that: The Windows API has many functions that also have Unicode versions to permit an extended-length path for a maximum total path length of 32,767 characters. And we read the claim that: The shell and the file system have different requirements. It is possible to create a path with the Windows API that the shell user interface is not be able to interpret properly. There is also a comment below this document that reads: In a previous iteration of this document, it is mentioned that The Unicode versions of several functions permit a maximum path length of approximately 32,000 characters composed of components up to 255 characters in length. This information is now gone. So we are in a position where the file system and Windows API can create long path/flies that the shell cannot handle. But then we need to be able to handle it, so a little exploration might lead to a better understanding of how to do this. For most tasks being performed on long folder/files, Windows 7 and other Windows programs balk when the Path+Filename length > 260 Let's create a long path/file. Create a folder called A at the root of a Drive. Create a sub-folder of A called: B Create a sub-folder of B called: C Make a FILE in sub-folder C called (no spaces or break, one long continuous string): 123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X123456.txt Rename sub-folder C to the string (no spaces or break, one long continuous string) (The actual directory created will be slightly shorter than this full length): 123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X123456789Y123456789Z Rename sub-folder B to the same full string above. (The actual directory created will be slightly shorter than this full length but 2 characters longer than the step above.) Rename folder A to that same full original string. (Again the actual directory created will be slightly shorter than this full length but 2 characters longer than the step above.) You now have the lovely file placed at (the breaks are just so it fits into the screen): C:\123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X1234\ 123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X12\ 123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X\ 123456789A123456789B123456789C123456789D123456789E123456789F123456789G123456789H123456789I123456789J 123456789K123456789L123456789M123456789N123456789O123456789P123456789Q123456789R123456789S123456789T 123456789U123456789V123456789W123456789X123456.txt You have a folder length of over 700 and a file length of over 250 for a total of over 950 However you will notice that each folder, when created, could only be a maximum of 247 charachters including the path (example C:\ , & C:\A , & C:\A\B This only applies backwards, that is up the path. It did not matter what was further down the path. Now, you can't easily access or rename the file, but you can rename the folders easily. For best results, start renaming from the top of the Tree, working down the subfolders, because renaming from down up will limit you, and in fact won't work if the folder lengths are too long. So how might knowing this help us? Well, to copy this long_file from the C:\ drive to the D:\ drive, and keeping the path structure, this should work: Note the name of the top folder. Rename it to something very short, say: A (Make sure C:\A does not exist) Note the name of the 2nd folder. Rename it to something very short, say: B (Make sure C:\A\B does not exist) Note the name of the 3rd folder. Rename it to something very short, say: C (Make sure C:\A\B\C does not exist) Make sure D:\A does not exist - then copy the A folder on disk C: to disk D: (which gives you D:\A\B\C\long_file Rename D:\A\B\C to D:\A\B\Original_3rd_Folder_name Rename D:\A\B to D:\A\B\Original_2nd_Folder_name Rename D:\A to D:\Original_top_Folder_name Rename C:\A\B\C back to their original names, in this same reverse order starting with C, then B, then A Note: If using Explorer, at some points you might have to press the F5 refresh key. This is of course how you might copy such long path/files without using the other more "easy" techniques for the "normal" everyday user like: sharing a sub-folder using the commandline to assign a drive letter by means of SUBST using AddConnectionunder VB to assign a drive letter to a path using the "\\?\" prefix to a path string to tell the Windows APIs to disable all string parsing and to send the string that follows it straight to the file system and so on. See how simple Windows can be for Dummies! But then, how can we know that files to be copied exceed this MAX_PATH? Or also after a copy has taken place, know exactly which files that have NOT been copied because of exceeding the MAX_PATH limit, and then a procedure to copy these either by renaming them, or by copying them intact as they are? There have been suggestions to use LongPathTool, but this does not have a facility to check a series of folders and tell you which files are going to be caught by the error when copying. So once a copy has taken place using Windows 7, one does not know which files did not get copied, and where exactly they are located. Neither does the free Old Path Scanner do that. It can only check for overly long directory paths, but misses out when the directory path is within limits, but adding in the file name puts it out of bounds. So, as shown above, it is ever so easy to create a long file/path using explorer.exe So, what then is an easy way (no, not by listing out all the files in a directory to a text file and counting characters), perhaps using a shell extension, to find out which files in a directory and it's subdirectories will be (or were) too long to copy, (and then perhaps even copying those over either intact or renamed)?

Is this a question or discussion?Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

Is this a question or discussion?Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

Is this a question or discussion?Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8?

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8?

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8?

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8? Thanks free404! Would you mind adding the question to the top of your first post? That way we can try to get an answer to the specific question? Otherwise, would you be up for changing this to a Discussion type instead? Thanks!Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8? Thanks free404! Would you mind adding the question to the top of your first post? That way we can try to get an answer to the specific question? Otherwise, would you be up for changing this to a Discussion type instead? Thanks!Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8? Thanks free404! Would you mind adding the question to the top of your first post? That way we can try to get an answer to the specific question? Otherwise, would you be up for changing this to a Discussion type instead? Thanks!Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki)

Use Linux to fix this. Create a dual-boot system. Use If you need Windows, your dual boot system will always have it there for you. Most forms of Linux allow a file path length of 4,096. They also allow file NAME lengths of 255, which is the whole PATH length in Windows 7! UNIX, the basis of Linux, was developed 40 years ago! Somehow Linux can get it right but Microsoft can not. But then again, the volunteer Linux developers work like professionals, while Microsoft is a poorly managed business that fritters away billions of dollars in development costs while producing technology that is retrograde. TO MY POINT, not ONE post related to Windows file name length problems includes a reply with Microsoft's approach to FIXING the OS file path length problem. That is because Microsoft does NOT focus on creating solutions - they focus on SALES and any quality that might arise is literally a side effect. Linux developers focus on quality, and that is why their FREE operating system is still better than Windows 40 years after UNIX was written. I wish that were not true, since I paid for Windows 7, but it is true. :-b

Use Linux to fix this. Create a dual-boot system. Use If you need Windows, your dual boot system will always have it there for you. Most forms of Linux allow a file path length of 4,096. They also allow file NAME lengths of 255, which is the whole PATH length in Windows 7! UNIX, the basis of Linux, was developed 40 years ago! Somehow Linux can get it right but Microsoft can not. But then again, the volunteer Linux developers work like professionals, while Microsoft is a poorly managed business that fritters away billions of dollars in development costs while producing technology that is retrograde. TO MY POINT, not ONE post related to Windows file name length problems includes a reply with Microsoft's approach to FIXING the OS file path length problem. That is because Microsoft does NOT focus on creating solutions - they focus on SALES and any quality that might arise is literally a side effect. Linux developers focus on quality, and that is why their FREE operating system is still better than Windows 40 years after UNIX was written. I wish that were not true, since I paid for Windows 7, but it is true. :-b

Use Linux to fix this. Create a dual-boot system. Use If you need Windows, your dual boot system will always have it there for you. Most forms of Linux allow a file path length of 4,096. They also allow file NAME lengths of 255, which is the whole PATH length in Windows 7! UNIX, the basis of Linux, was developed 40 years ago! Somehow Linux can get it right but Microsoft can not. But then again, the volunteer Linux developers work like professionals, while Microsoft is a poorly managed business that fritters away billions of dollars in development costs while producing technology that is retrograde. TO MY POINT, not ONE post related to Windows file name length problems includes a reply with Microsoft's approach to FIXING the OS file path length problem. That is because Microsoft does NOT focus on creating solutions - they focus on SALES and any quality that might arise is literally a side effect. Linux developers focus on quality, and that is why their FREE operating system is still better than Windows 40 years after UNIX was written. I wish that were not true, since I paid for Windows 7, but it is true. :-b

Hi, Ed. I'm a newbie to this forum, though my group at the company I worked for got our first PCXTs in 1984 and those insane IBM people went and Really Over-did it and put a 10 - Repeat TEN Megabyte Hard Disk in them. What in the world could anyone do with so much space??? We had DOS (PCDOS?) 1.1 or some such and the DOS program Displaywrite word processing software on it and we had to buy the cabling and software in order to convert the data from our 8" toaster drives on ourIBM "Displaywriter" word processor over to the XTs. And, yes, I'm older than dirt *g*. Since that momentous time, I've been associated with a number of so called PC / X86 variants. Plus, I've said things too many times to count about Microsoft that would make a hardened sailor blush. With that said, Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do" from some 2011 posting was about the best and rational explanation and concise question: "WHY HAS MICROSOFT ALLOWED US TO CREATE PATHNAMES+ FILENAMES OF SUCH A LENGTH THAT EVEN THE SAME SOFTWARE CANNOT COPY THEM?????" The man had a good question. I understand your asking free404 to add their question to the top of the first post, but, uh, er, um, don't you work for said company? Now, I understand that more often than not, a company will listen to a potential customer than someone sitting next to them. Crazy, but I've seen it many, many times. And, I believe Scott Adams with Dilbert covers such things pretty well. But, back to the point. I'll pose my own version of the question: WHY HASN'T MICROSOFT COME UP WITH A FIX/UPGRADE TO IMMEDIATELY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM? Sure, its easy for me to propose such a question and perhaps not so easy for a programmer to sit down for 10 minutes and write the code to make this fix, but I can still ask. I get numerous upgrades from Microsoft all the time and I assume those are designed to do something useful. Yes, they give an explanation of what each file is supposed to do, but I'm sure there is more to "This fix helps Windows 7 correct a significant issue with the system inertial dampers." *smile* Anyway, just for academic reasons if nothing else, what is the path from yourself, maybe even including letters like this one, to go through the MS bureaucracy and actually get to a programmer who is assigned to actually write a program with the intent to sending it out with other upgrades? I have a feeling there are quite a few steps between here and then and the vast majority of ideas don't get past the first reviewer and die on the vine. But, that's just one man's opinion. Have a good week, Randy Ps: If you have a way to send my message to Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do", please do that for me. He may have setup an ID just for that one posting and not use his ID all the time and I understand such things. - Thanks, TRW

Hi, Ed. I'm a newbie to this forum, though my group at the company I worked for got our first PCXTs in 1984 and those insane IBM people went and Really Over-did it and put a 10 - Repeat TEN Megabyte Hard Disk in them. What in the world could anyone do with so much space??? We had DOS (PCDOS?) 1.1 or some such and the DOS program Displaywrite word processing software on it and we had to buy the cabling and software in order to convert the data from our 8" toaster drives on ourIBM "Displaywriter" word processor over to the XTs. And, yes, I'm older than dirt *g*. Since that momentous time, I've been associated with a number of so called PC / X86 variants. Plus, I've said things too many times to count about Microsoft that would make a hardened sailor blush. With that said, Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do" from some 2011 posting was about the best and rational explanation and concise question: "WHY HAS MICROSOFT ALLOWED US TO CREATE PATHNAMES+ FILENAMES OF SUCH A LENGTH THAT EVEN THE SAME SOFTWARE CANNOT COPY THEM?????" The man had a good question. I understand your asking free404 to add their question to the top of the first post, but, uh, er, um, don't you work for said company? Now, I understand that more often than not, a company will listen to a potential customer than someone sitting next to them. Crazy, but I've seen it many, many times. And, I believe Scott Adams with Dilbert covers such things pretty well. But, back to the point. I'll pose my own version of the question: WHY HASN'T MICROSOFT COME UP WITH A FIX/UPGRADE TO IMMEDIATELY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM? Sure, its easy for me to propose such a question and perhaps not so easy for a programmer to sit down for 10 minutes and write the code to make this fix, but I can still ask. I get numerous upgrades from Microsoft all the time and I assume those are designed to do something useful. Yes, they give an explanation of what each file is supposed to do, but I'm sure there is more to "This fix helps Windows 7 correct a significant issue with the system inertial dampers." *smile* Anyway, just for academic reasons if nothing else, what is the path from yourself, maybe even including letters like this one, to go through the MS bureaucracy and actually get to a programmer who is assigned to actually write a program with the intent to sending it out with other upgrades? I have a feeling there are quite a few steps between here and then and the vast majority of ideas don't get past the first reviewer and die on the vine. But, that's just one man's opinion. Have a good week, Randy Ps: If you have a way to send my message to Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do", please do that for me. He may have setup an ID just for that one posting and not use his ID all the time and I understand such things. - Thanks, TRW

Hi, Ed. I'm a newbie to this forum, though my group at the company I worked for got our first PCXTs in 1984 and those insane IBM people went and Really Over-did it and put a 10 - Repeat TEN Megabyte Hard Disk in them. What in the world could anyone do with so much space??? We had DOS (PCDOS?) 1.1 or some such and the DOS program Displaywrite word processing software on it and we had to buy the cabling and software in order to convert the data from our 8" toaster drives on ourIBM "Displaywriter" word processor over to the XTs. And, yes, I'm older than dirt *g*. Since that momentous time, I've been associated with a number of so called PC / X86 variants. Plus, I've said things too many times to count about Microsoft that would make a hardened sailor blush. With that said, Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do" from some 2011 posting was about the best and rational explanation and concise question: "WHY HAS MICROSOFT ALLOWED US TO CREATE PATHNAMES+ FILENAMES OF SUCH A LENGTH THAT EVEN THE SAME SOFTWARE CANNOT COPY THEM?????" The man had a good question. I understand your asking free404 to add their question to the top of the first post, but, uh, er, um, don't you work for said company? Now, I understand that more often than not, a company will listen to a potential customer than someone sitting next to them. Crazy, but I've seen it many, many times. And, I believe Scott Adams with Dilbert covers such things pretty well. But, back to the point. I'll pose my own version of the question: WHY HASN'T MICROSOFT COME UP WITH A FIX/UPGRADE TO IMMEDIATELY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM? Sure, its easy for me to propose such a question and perhaps not so easy for a programmer to sit down for 10 minutes and write the code to make this fix, but I can still ask. I get numerous upgrades from Microsoft all the time and I assume those are designed to do something useful. Yes, they give an explanation of what each file is supposed to do, but I'm sure there is more to "This fix helps Windows 7 correct a significant issue with the system inertial dampers." *smile* Anyway, just for academic reasons if nothing else, what is the path from yourself, maybe even including letters like this one, to go through the MS bureaucracy and actually get to a programmer who is assigned to actually write a program with the intent to sending it out with other upgrades? I have a feeling there are quite a few steps between here and then and the vast majority of ideas don't get past the first reviewer and die on the vine. But, that's just one man's opinion. Have a good week, Randy Ps: If you have a way to send my message to Jim, AKA "Why use one word where two will do", please do that for me. He may have setup an ID just for that one posting and not use his ID all the time and I understand such things. - Thanks, TRW

Is this a question or discussion? Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki) The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8?

Is this a question or discussion? Ed Price a.k.a User Ed, Microsoft Experience Program Manager (Blog, Twitter, Wiki) The questions and discussions on the issue of File Names are too long, cannot copy, are here. There appeared no viable easy solution(s) for non-technical users in that locked thread. There was no other similar open thread. One roundabout method of achieving the goal of copying a long path/file is given above, but it is cumbersome. Hopefully the discussion and questions will continue, leading possibly to an answer that is convenient. Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8?

Cornelius Pone's very nicely made gif file ! Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8? Cornelius, Thank you for confirming this has not been fixed as of Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400. Hopefully it still might be fixed before Win 8 launches. I wonder what the odds of that might be?

Cornelius Pone's very nicely made gif file ! Would anyone happen to know if this conundrum will continue into Windows 8? Cornelius, Thank you for confirming this has not been fixed as of Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400. Hopefully it still might be fixed before Win 8 launches. I wonder what the odds of that might be?

Cornelius, Thank you for confirming this has not been fixed as of Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400. (Thanks for the kind words. You can call me Cornpone.) See something funny about this right-click menu? There's no option to rename or delete that file. It won't go away when you drag-n-drop it into the Recycle Bin either. The file just stays there, stuck. There's just no GUI way to fix it or get rid of it, once it's there with that long name. It looks like Windows 8 is on track to be exactly the same as Windows 7. Cornpone.

I can confirm that this is still an issue with server 2012. Migrating files from a server 2008 to 2012 gave two instances of the "file is too long to copy" error. Why does the error dialogue box not tell you the path, and then give you the opportunity to find the original file to rename or an option to rename the new copied file???

I can confirm that this is still an issue with server 2012. Migrating files from a server 2008 to 2012 gave two instances of the "file is too long to copy" error. Why does the error dialogue box not tell you the path, and then give you the opportunity to find the original file to rename or an option to rename the new copied file???

Long Path Tool helped me in this situation. http://PathTooDeep.com

Long Path Tool helped me in this situation. http://PathTooDeep.com