enable win32 long paths but not work

Question

Dear support Team，I have changed the following two settings in order to be able to open long-path files with more than 260 characters in file explorer, but I still can’t open long-path files even after restarting the computer after the changes. Please help me find out why.

1. opening the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. Look for the value "LongPathsEnabled" and make sure it is set to
2. Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem. and set the "Enable Win32 long paths" policy to "Enabled".

Answer 1

I see the same issue with File Explorer. The setting "LongPathsEnabled" makes no difference.

I recommend using a third party file manager. I have successfully tested Directory Opus with long folder paths on Windows 11.

I also recommend submitting a report and request for better long path support in Windows File Explorer via the Feedback Hub. You shouldn't have to use a third party tool to solve this.

Another workaround is to use the command line to copy or move files and folders. In some cases you may have to prefix the source and/or target paths with the long path name support prefix: *\?*

Answer 2

Unfortunately, we have a large number of users who need to open long-path files in OneDrive through file explorer, but we have applied all relevant policies and still have no effect

Answer 3

Unfortunately, we have a large number of users who need to open long-path files in OneDrive through file explorer, but we have applied all relevant policies and still have no effect

This is a common issue with servers and is usually managed by creating shares at lower levels, so that the total path the users sees does not exceed the limit. Why File Explorer still can't be forced to work with long paths is puzzling. It's a way-overdue feature.

Since you have a large user base, presumably you have some support relationship with Microsoft. It wouldn't hurt to at least let them know that it's an issue for you.

Answer 4

I sincerely hope that microsoft support can answer my question, because the inability to access long path files has troubled many of our users

Answer 5

I sincerely hope that microsoft support can answer my question, because the inability to access long path files has troubled many of our users

If you have a support contract with Microsoft, you should bring the issue up with your support rep. If not, all you can do is leave feedback via the Feedback Hub.

It's unlikely that you will get an official response here, as this is a user to user forum. If you were to get a response, I would expect it to be similar to the response I get from ChatGPT:

Question: What is Microsoft's official response in regards to the lack of full long path support in File Explorer?

Answer (slightly edit for brevity): Microsoft has acknowledged the lack of full long path support in File Explorer, which limits the ability to work with files and folders with path lengths exceeding 260 characters. This limitation can cause issues when attempting to access, copy, or move files with long paths. Microsoft is actively working on a solution to provide full long path support in File Explorer. However, they have not yet released a specific timeline for when this enhancement will be available to users.

Also see:

https://superuser.com/questions/1783364/still-no-file-paths-longer-than-260-characters-in-win-explorer-in-2023