Have you ever had problems trying to open, edit, or delete a file or folder in Windows 11 because the name is too long? Have you ever seen error messages like “The file name(s) would be too long for the destination folder” or “The source file name(s) are larger than is supported by the file system”? If yes, then you may face file path length limitations on Windows 11.
A file path is a sequence of characters that indicates the location of a file or folder in the file system. For example, the file path for a file named “contoh.docx” that resides in the “Documents” folder on drive C is “C:Documentscontoh.docx”. The length of the file path is the number of characters present in the file path, including the backslash sign () as a separator between the folder and the file. In this example, the length of the file path is 20 characters.
Windows 11 has a maximum file path length limit of 260 characters. This means that if you try to create, access, or modify a file or folder with a file path that is longer than 260 characters, you may encounter problems or errors. This limitation is referred to as MAX_PATH and has been around since Windows 95.
However, this limitation is not absolute and can be overcome in several ways. In this article, Bardimin will explain some methods to get around the file path length limitation in Windows 11, either by changing registry settings, using PowerShell, or using third-party applications. We will also provide some tips to prevent the problem of file paths being too long in the future.
Changing Registry Settings
One way to overcome the file path length limitation in Windows 11 is to change the registry settings. The registry is a database that stores important information about the operating system, hardware, and software installed on your computer. By changing certain values in the registry, you can enable a feature called long path which allows you to use file paths that are longer than 260 characters.
To change registry settings, you must have administrator privileges on your computer. In addition, you should be careful because changing the wrong registry can cause system damage or data loss. Therefore, we recommend that you back up your registry before making any changes.
The following are the steps to change registry settings to overcome the file path length limitation in Windows 11:
- Open Run by pressing the Windows + R key on your keyboard.
- Type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor.
- In the left pane, navigate to the following folders:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
- In the right pane, double-click on the entry named LongPathsEnabled. If this entry does not exist, you can create it by right-clicking on a space in the right pane, selecting New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and naming it LongPathsEnabled.
- Change the data value from 0 to 1 and click OK.
- Close Registry Editor and restart your computer.
Once you perform these steps, you should be able to use file paths that are longer than 260 characters in Windows 11 without any problem. However, it’s worth noting that not all apps support this long path feature, so you may still run into errors with some specific apps.