Setting up your PC using a folder-inside-folder system—i.e. creating nested folders—is great for organization! It makes things clear and easy to find when you have hundreds, if not thousands, of files.
However, Windows can throw a spanner in your neat and tidy digital organization. The operating system has a file path limit and will restrict folder and filename character count to approximately 260 characters. Here’s how to remove the default Windows filename character length limitation and extend that limit.
How to Remove Filename Character Restriction via Local Group Policy
If you’re runningWindows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you may extend your filename paths via the local group policy editor. Here’s how:
How to Extend Filename Character Limit via a Registry Tweak
If you haven’t got the versions of Windows mentioned above, you can extend the Windows filename character length via theRegistry Editor.
Be warned, though, that editing the Windows Registry is not without its risks. verify youback up the Windows Registrybefore making any changes.
This will remove the 260-character length restriction on filenames in Windows.
You might need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Go Big With File Organization on Windows
If Windows is clipping your wings and cutting short your file organization system, you can easily do away with the default filename character limitations. This workaround gives you near-free reign over filenames and removes the restriction on file path length.
