Windows 7 "Filename too long for destination folder"??? How to allow long filenames?

pstein

Extraordinary Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Much to my surprise Win7 told me ina popup that a filename with approx. 30 chars is too long for the destination folder when I try to move the file to another directory.

From my point of view the concatenated path+filename is long but not too long.
At least there would be no error under good old WinXP.

So Win7 have probably introduced a new filename length rule.

Is there a way to disable this rule resp. allow longer path+filenames?

Peter
 
Hey there.

Windows 7 using NTFS has a maximum file name length of 255 characters. This is known as "long filename system".

Are you perhaps trying to move the files to an FAT partition?
 
I just had the same problem trying to copy a folder in Win7 to a new hard drive. I got around it by first copying the folder to the root of the new drive (hence much shorter path length) which worked. I then moved the copied folder from the root to the folder on the new drive I had originally intended to copy it to.

Paul
 
Long path tool is the best solution for your problem. try it and solve your problem.
stevenManilov05, GarryLowey, rebeccazoly
You guys didn't figure out buy now the 'Long Path Tool' is not a "Fully Working Copy" like the video says and is useless since when you click on 'Copy To' a window pops up telling you, "Buy the full version to perform this operation' The Video further goes on to show you how to 'Delete' and 'Rename' a file which I can do via Windows Explorer.
My issue is that the File name is NOT too long and the files in question are all 25-30 characters long including the extension.

(UPDATE June 27, 2013)
Fixed if by copying the destination folder to the root of the drive and then copying the remaining files (that did not get copied originally) to the folder and then moving the folder farther down the tree, but about 2-3 levels up from where it was originally. I have not tried moving it back as I don't need it at that level and would bet on the same results as before.

Maybe not pertinent is that this was just a copy (full copy) and not single html file of a web page (ebay page) that I moved from the root of one drive to the root of another. Same number of levels in the dir tree.

Questions:
1. Why did some files copy to the last folder in the dir tree and not others? As said before it was not the individual file name length (at least I don't see why) as the number of the characters in the files that did not copy to the last folders were between 18-29 characters in length and the files that did copy were all jpg images with 12 characters (all numbers) in length.
2. In one folder that had 5 files that would not copy, after moving the folder up one level in the dir tree I was able to copy one more file to the folder but not a second one. Then when I moved the folder up one more level I was able to copy the second file but not the third. As you can surmise,when I moved it up one more level I was able to copy another file (the third file). This all seams strange and peculiar and appears to me to be a flaw in Windows 7 file management.
 
Last edited:
Im figured when ya'll said NTFS has a maximum file name length of 255 characters,
im solved already by shorting filename before im going to rename or delete the items.
example C:/ABCDEFGHIJK/ABCDEFGHIJKLM/ACBDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR/Movie2002ABCDEFGHIJKLMN.MP4 (originally)
rename from the beginning C:/ABC/ABCDE/ABCDEF/Movie.MP4



hope can solve yall problems, free of charge ;)
 
Long Path Tool is a best software to solve this issue. 5++ Rating. Long Path Tool is a best software
it is a free software. You can Try it.
 
To solve problem such as delete or move or copy of long file name a good program “Long Path Tool” may be used, try it and share your feedback.
 
My issue is that the File name is NOT too long and the files in question are all 25-30 characters long including the extension.
Does the 25-30 characters include all of the folder names?

It should.

The 255 max includes folder, sub-folder + filename.
 
The Long path tool is the very best program for error, unlock solution.
Try it and solved your problem.
I used the long path tool and I solved my error, unlocks problem solution.
 
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