File Names Seem to Be Limited to Less Than 255 Characters (148754)
The information in this article applies to:
This article was previously published under Q148754 SYMPTOMS
You may experience one or both of the following symptoms when you attempt
to create a file in Windows 95:
- When you attempt to use Windows Explorer or another program to create a
file in a folder other than the root folder of a drive, the length of
the file name seems to be limited to less than 255 characters. If you
use Windows Explorer to move or copy a file with a very long file name
to a folder other than the root folder of a drive, you may receive the
following error message:
Cannot copy <file name>. The file name you specified is invalid or
too long. Specify a different filename.
- When you attempt to use Windows Explorer to create a file in the root
folder of a drive, the length of the file name seems to be limited to
250 characters.
These symptoms occur even though the Windows 95 documentation states that
a file name in Windows 95 can include up to 255 characters.
CAUSE
Long file names are limited to 255 characters in Windows 95. However,
the maximum path length in Windows 95 is 259 characters. The maximum path
length represents the length of the file name, plus the number of
characters used to represent the drive and folder where the file is
located. For example, the path length for the file
C:\Windows\LongFileName.extension
is 33 characters, but the file name is only 22 characters.
Because the path length is limited to 259 characters, a long file name is
limited to less than 255 characters if more than five characters are
needed to represent the drive and folder where the file is located. If
five characters or less are needed to represent the drive and folder where
the file is located, the long file name is limited to 255 characters, even
if the total path length is less than 259 characters. For example, if a
file is located in the root folder of a drive, the long file name is still
limited to 255 characters, even though 256 characters could be used before
the maximum path length is reached.
When you use Windows Explorer to create a file, the length of the file
name is limited to 250 characters instead of 255 characters. This is a
known problem that occurs with Windows Explorer in Windows 95. However,
if you use another program to create a file with a file name longer than
250 characters, the entire file name is visible in Windows Explorer.
RESOLUTION
To work around these problems, use the appropriate method:
- If you are attempting to use Windows Explorer or another program to
create a file in a folder other than the root folder of a drive, and
the length of the file name is limited to less than 255 characters, you
may be able to use a longer file name if you create the file in a
different folder. If you create the file in a folder with fewer
characters in the folder name, or in a folder that has fewer parent
folders, fewer characters are needed to represent the drive and folder
where the file is located. This allows you to use more characters for
the file name before the 259-character maximum path length is reached.
- If you are attempting to use Windows Explorer to create a file in the
root folder of a drive, and the length of the file name is limited to
250 characters, you may be able to work around this problem by using a
different program to create the file. For example, if you are attempt-
ing to create a new text document (.txt) file, use Notepad to create
the file instead of Windows Explorer.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that the 250-character file name limit on files
created in Windows Explorer is a problem with Windows 95. We are
researching this problem and will post new information here in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.
Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 12/17/2000 |
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Keywords: | KB148754 |
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