We've been dealing with a huge number of paths that are incredibly long, like W:\VeryImportantDataThatAbsolutelyNeedsToBeNestedDeeplyForSecurityReasons and so on. We're running into issues where files sometimes don't save or won't open correctly because of the character limit. I'm considering a simple registry change to remove the path limit on both workstations and file servers. We're using Windows 10 22H2 Enterprise LTSC and Windows Server 2019, but I think some of our Office apps might still be 32-bit version 2021. Is there any significant risk in just disabling this limit?
6 Answers
That sounds like a nightmare storage setup! You really need to talk to the team about revamping your organization strategy—it’s not just about the paths but how files are saved. Object storage could handle this way better than the current approach, which looks all over the place!
Give it a shot on a workstation first! Many applications are still capped at that 255-character length, so removing the limits could just increase confusion with users reporting files not working. Fix the naming issue instead of enabling long paths—it’s usually just poor organizational structure!
I’ve gotta give props for that epic path example; it really captures my struggles as a sysadmin! Just imagine if you threw in those repetitive "copy (N) of ..." names too!
From my experience, enabling long file names hasn't caused issues, but remember: while NTFS supports it, many apps, like all Adobe products, don't handle paths longer than 256 characters well. So, you've got to consider the software you’re running alongside that change!
There are definitely workarounds for the path limits, like using drive mapping. But simplifying your folder and file names will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. For example, instead of: Y:Accounting20242024 Accounting Audits2024 Q1 AuditsFinalized Q1 Audits2024 Q1 Finalized Audit Results.xlsx, how about shortening it to Y:Accounting2024AuditsQ1FinalizedResults.xlsx? Much cleaner!
Honestly, it's a tough call. You might end up with files that don't open at all instead of just occasionally facing an issue with a legacy application. I’d pick the lesser of two evils!
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