File name restrictions
The file name restrictions are still in place. There shouldn't be any special character, symbol, space before or after file. It is very disappointing especially when you are uploading hundreds of GBs and with 460 file name errors. That makes you stop the whole process. Please allow any type of file names like dropbox/google drive etc.
Thank you.

17 comments
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Brian Glaeske commented
The 1980's called and wants 8.3 back. That is what I think everytime I use OneDrive.
The fact that this issue has comments going over 2 years back shows how committed Microsoft is to this. How many engineers does Microsoft have? It seems like enough to get this issue fixed in a timely fashion.
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SDK commented
This is the most major problem facing Microsoft IMHO. I have spent weeks converting 20 YO file names just because MS can't move into this century. Luckily I found the NameChanger app but really a file with either the first or last character a "space" and that is illegal! "/" - really! If I had of known this I would have gone with dropbox and paid.
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Daniel Upton commented
please fix this major issue, to save old archived files from years ago is impossible
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George Andraos commented
This is very frustrating and extremely disappointing that we are forced to switch to Dropbox for our online filing system while we pay for sharepoint and onedrive and can't use them. Please please update your systems!
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Ty commented
This is one of the biggest functional faults you could imagine for a cloud storage service. If you support the platform at all, you must support the full extent of its file naming conventions.
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QuestCom commented
Yes please. I don't have this issue on Dropbox and other file storage apps!
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Chris commented
I have the same very disappointing issue -- file name restrictions are one thing, but it is totally unacceptable that other files are not synced, i.e., the process stops until you fix the conflicts. Even if you fixed the file name restrictions, you have to restart OneDrive.
Please see how Dropbox works...
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Thomas commented
I use "#" and "&" in my file names and OneDrive is always changing my filesnames. I wish it would stop and Microsoft would simply use the filenames that I give my files.... That would be so wonderful.
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Anonymous commented
Please can this be changed for Mac. It makes One-Drive very un-user friendly if you have to constantly change file names in order to store your files on the system. It's almost unworkable. I've just uploaded a number of files holding receipts and I have 75 file names I need to amend. It is very frustrating!
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Eric commented
These restrictions come straight out of a substandard command line parsing algorithm in DOS from 40 years ago. Because of this, special characters and device names cannot be used in file names. Please note that UNIX, which is >10 years older than DOS, and the Mac, have never had any problem with special characters. Microsoft needs to fix this 40 year old abomination and not carry over silly limitations to 21st century products.
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Anonymous commented
Yes yes yes.
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FD commented
It seems to go without saying that a backup service for Mac should accept Mac file names. The OneDrive naming requirements go back to the 1980's MS DOS. It's time to enter the 21st Century. We're already 19 years into it.
Not accepting Mac file names makes OneDrive incompatible with Mac. People are not going to take the time to change perhaps hundreds of file and folder names. OneDrive never should have been offered to Mac users until it was made compatible with Mac.
The fact that MS requires user comments to change a mistake that never should have happened in the first place is making a second major mistake. MS should not require users to do their work for them. Accepting Mac file names on a mac backup service is an obvious requirement.
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Anonymous commented
Same issue here.
Thought I was being smart signing up for Office365, thinking I could cancel google drive and transfer all my files to OneDrive.
Now with hundreds of filename errors that is forcing me to go back to google and cancel my Office subscription.
Looking at a google search of this problem, it seems it has been known for years - little hope of it getting fixed anytime soon.
Why Microsoft. why? Every time I give you a chance, you break my heart
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hb commented
Really disappointed and frustrated when syncing files from Mac, always prompt the file name errors.. Hope Microsoft can do something on this, otherwise we have to change the cloud storage solution to other provider.
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Roy Leban commented
DropBox never complains that the name of a file contains a special character — it just makes it work. I'm trying to move from DropBox to OneDrive and I'm told I have to rename 165 files?!
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Matthew Slyman commented
I would "second" the request by "Anonymous": filename restrictions in 2018? Seriously? All I did was copy some emails to my filesystem from Outlook, attempt to synchronise them, and I get this road-block! Also disappointed that Windows File Explorer can't search paths/filenames containing Unicode chars.
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[Deleted User] commented
Do yourself a favor and switch to real and secure cloud service, like ********.