Enable long file paths (aka "File Name Too Long" problem when syncing)
As a developer, I have deeply nested file structures with sometimes arduously long file names. I am unable to use OneDrive as it stands now because of this. I would like to suggest that this limitation be removed. I understand that it's probably a fundamental infrastructure issue but it's severely hampering Onedrive when compared to other competitors out there right now, despite all the other cool features.
Brian Hall
shared this idea
We’ve enabled significantly longer paths for your personal OneDrive in our latest Windows and Mac releases (available from http://onedrive.com/download). You should be able to use paths up to 430 characters from the root of your local OneDrive sync folder. Our telemetry tells us this covers the vast majority of customers who have hit max path issues in the past. Note that if you have over 90 characters in your local OneDrive path (that is, from drive letter to OneDrive\) you will see characters over 90 cut into the budget of 430 characters (93 character local path will mean 427 characters available for path in the OneDrive folder).
1036 comments
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Donald Wihardja
commented
Yup, I absolutely agree this is frustrating.
I recently moved to onedrive from dropbox and didn't quite understand why this move wasn't smooth... some frustration later (and with my drive in total sync disarray) I just realize that some file just REFUSE to transfer because of long filename... or it breaks the sync.
well, I guess 1TB of disk space is just too good without some caveat... maybe I have to pay dropbox afterall...
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Cecil.
commented
This is insanely frustrating.
We need to have very descriptive folder names to keep track of work and it easily gets to be quite long.
However the issue is 100% The sync of onedrive to the local disk thats STUPID.With company name and other junk being added onto the url the longest file path we can make is 196 Characters!!!!
And don't even get me started on Excel, because excel has to be "special" it reserves a lot of characters for references to workbooks and other stupid things that shouldn't be an issue for the user to deal with. This further reduces the options.
How is this "for business" when it absolutely kills productivity?!
how hard is it to change the url to a short url so we can use the basic 255 characters AT LEAST?!
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Anonymous
commented
Is this still being 'thought about'? The original post was raised over 6 years ago. It is causing us a real headache as we roll out Teams to access sharepoint for file management.
We have been telling users they can synch and use File Explorer for file access. During 'synch' the process adds a number of characters relating to users, domain, Team and channel. This is variable depending on user name but may use up to 100 characters. That leaves c. 150 characters for path and filename for migration from our file server. This single issue has caused more angst in relation to its resolution than any other.
Microsoft.If this is really such a hard nut to ***** (File Explorer vs Windows API limitation) - 6 years is a long time with no resolution path published - then why don't you improve the rather clunky file management capability of the Teams App by making that look and behave more like explorer & provide an 'offline' synch capability within it?
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Greg
commented
I think "Boom! It's Done" has mis-understood the problem. Yes, OneDrive on the web can now hold paths of 400 characters. But the synchronisation to and from the C:\ drive is still limited to 260 chars. So if you have a folder on your C: drive that exceeds 260 chars, it DOES NOT synchronsie to the web. You can only access the 400 char limit if you never synchronise, and only access your data through a browser.
It kind of negates the benefits of the 400 character One-Drive limit, since many people prefer to synchronise and have the rich functionality of their File Explorer, rather than use the clumsy browser-only options.
To the people advocating "Long Path Tool" - yes, there are tools that allow you to access and delete longer paths on your C: drive - but why can't Microsoft just make OneDrive synchronisation work, without having to faff about with folder lengths? It is as though the people who have created the synchronsiation functionality have not spoken with the people who have implemented the OneDrive file length limit.
Come on Microsoft - why not get this sorted once and for all? Fix it so that you can synchronise paths on your C: drive up to the 400 character limit.
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User
commented
Been dealing with Onedrive issues the past 6 months. This is the biggest issue.
yes you have allowed longer path names in the WEBVERSION. howabout when it syncs to a local machine like WINDOWS 10 where there is a limit of 256 characters in the filepathname.No longpathtool will not solve this issue as we don't need to rename copy or move files. The underlying issue it is the year 2020 this issue needs to be resolved to allow longer file paths with synced to a windows 10 local installation.
This is incredible frustrating to explain to a customer no sorry this is a limitation of Microsoft that hasn't allowed any more than 256 characters in a filepathname. At least I can say it's not you or me it's Microsoft. So thank you for being the one to be able to blame when this issue can't be fixed.
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Anonymous
commented
we migrated all our data to sharepoint and now we have issues opening files as path is too long.
Please fix this issue urgently
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Anonymous
commented
This is one of the worst thing of onedrive.
Why the path length is limiting to 256.All my users are complaining. Thinking of moving from one drive to a onprem NAS device where we don't face such issues
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Geeves
commented
This is still an issue here, especially with COVID and more and more people needing to work remotely, to have the first 50 or so characters being the "share name" (what used to be something like S:\) causing quite a few issues with clients syncing SharePoint. (when the sync client actually works haha)
Would be great to have this on the 400+ character limit and maybe, just maybe all will be right with the world... -
Taylor
commented
This is literally an outrage. Halfway through migrating our entire company to OneDrive and O365 architecture, and this? File path name limits? In 2020? EVERY SINGLE NESTED FOLDER WE HAVE IS TOO LONG.
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Anonymous
commented
Use LongPathTool it will solve your problem of deleting and copying long path files
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Caitlin Boake
commented
SharePoint files synced with OneDrive still experience "path too long" issues. Please address this
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Gerald Brickson
commented
Exactly, I came to face this issue also. Then some recommended me Long Path Tool software and I am grateful to that person
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Anonymous
commented
the same issue, it is not solved with newer version of onedrive, the file show up on sync folder but just couldn't open it, i have to rename it online to open it in sync folder. this is not what we expected.
is there a way to shorten the file path and still refer to the correct URL? -
jomon
commented
This is one of the stupidest thing of onedrive.
Why the path length is limiting to 256.It just means, we cannot keep internal structures with meaningful names.
I just did an automation project. And now when i try to copy the project folder for sharing, this error happens. How am i going to rename all those project folders? Amazing..
Now i need to use my local folder.ohh microsoft..
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Fred Davis
commented
Use Long Path Tool, Long Path Tool can simplify and
probably end your problems in unlocking, managing and
renaming files that appear to have a long filename
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Jason Robertson
commented
Its still a Problem AWS Cloudberry is much better at this please lift your game. This is extremely annoying.
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Anonymous
commented
Please increase.
I cannot copy or clone the Microsoft SPFx library due to this file limit restriction - https://github.com/SharePoint/sp-dev-docs
I had to download and shorten the zip path of the file repository. There was still one file that could not be copied.
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iJohnnyCash
commented
I really believe that it is essential to solve this somehow.
In the years of my degree, I had a path pattern like
D:\OneDrive\Projects\Education\[University Name]\Lessons\[Year]\[Semesters\Essays\Sources\Topic\[Athour]-[Tittle].pdfIn the meanwhile, I have been working around various companies, including two startups of mine.
I tried to explain that path isn't not only a technical matter. If it was, we all would have chosen iPad. A IT because of the mindset maybe can think the better pattern of paths or use tweaks, scripts and tools. For an accountant or lawyer it is essentials to understand optical/visually where is a file and sometimes he needs filenames like Client-Second-Answers-to-The-Authority-Ver2.docx
So 420 characters maybe it's enough for a tweet, perhaps the 420 is the favourite number of Snoop Doog, but it is not enough of an organizing system.
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Anonymous
commented
Not done at all, still get this error in Onedrive for Business on Windows 10.
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Anonymous
commented
Have you tried 'long path tool'?
it's very helpful for me.
