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The file name would be too long for the destination folder. You can shorten the file name and try again

Anonymous
2018-04-23T23:53:14+00:00

I received a message when i was trying to copy a file from my desktop to another location. Also, in the destination location i cant rename the files.

This is the message: The file name would be too long for the destination folder. You can shorten the file name and try again ....

I belive that there is a solution for this right? i belive too that the system has to get used to the user and not the user to the system. How can i solve this issue?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-23T23:55:01+00:00

    When you see this message does it give you the option to skip?

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-07-14T21:45:25+00:00

    I just attempted to copy 184Giga bytes of files to a backup drive. It too 3 plus hours to 'attempt'.

    At the end of the 'attempt', I got a message that 80 of the files could not be copied because their file names were too long.

    Did the Microsoft copy utility give me a list of the files and the directories they were in so I could find them and rename them??? 

    I think you know the answer to that question.

    So how do I find the problematic files?

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-04-23T23:56:54+00:00

    Under the Windows file naming system the total name cannot or path exceed 259 characters. This includes the folder path, file name and file extension. If it does, then when you try to delete or move it, you will receive this error. But, there are many workarounds that can help fix this issue, for example, you can use Robocopy command to help move the files:

    ROBOCOPYC:\SourceFoldern D:\DestinationFolder /move

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-06-18T07:31:43+00:00

    Yeah, certainly annoying. Even more annoying is that the copy operation doesn't offer the opportunity to change the file name (though that only gives a little wiggle room if the file name is already short), nor does it show the path to the file; in a deep hierarchy of folders, it may not be obvious where it is and, if there are multiple similarly named files in various parts of the structure, simply finding the file may not be as straightforward as one might think. As there is a registry edit fix for this, could MS not offer an easier way of dealing with this sort of issue? Or maybe it has?

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  5. Greg Carmack 24,770 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-04-23T23:57:06+00:00

    Hi Angel. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

    Right click the file on your desktop to rename to a shorter name.

    Annoying, I know. But this has been the same throughout Windows history and there is apparently some reason they can't or won't change it.

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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