unable to copy files

Question

Hi All,

I have a folder on my F Drive that is 30GB in size, containing a lot of files and subfolders. I also have a SharePoint site where I want to upload this 30GB folder. I clicked "Sync" on the SharePoint folder, which has mapped it to my local server (C:\Download).

When I try to copy this 30GB folder, I am getting the following error: "The file name(s) would be too long for the destination folder. You can shorten the file name and try again, or try a location that has a shorter path."

I am also encountering this error when I try to upload the folder directly to the SharePoint site. Is there any way to copy files with paths longer than the 256-character limit?

Answer 1

Hello,

 

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Normally it's recommended to follow 256-character limit, meanwhile you can try robocopy as a workaround:

For example, if you cannot delete a directory due to the path length limit, you can first move the data from that directory using robocopy:

ROBOCOPY c:\folder1\folder2\folder3\longpath c:\tmp /MOVE /E

REF: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/robocopy

 

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

 

Best regards，

Jill Zhou

 

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Answer 2

Hi Glenn.

Limitations of SharePoint Online:

SharePoint 400 Character URL limit

This limit is also happening way too often when users migrate from file shares to SharePoint Online. As you create folders and subfolders in a document library – the URL path to the content becomes longer and longer. The limit for the relative URL in SharePoint is 400 characters. Once you encounter the limit – you will start getting the error messages. The 400-character limit includes the length of your site name, document library name, folders, and file. It does not count the characters in the domain/tenant name. For example, if the folder/document URL is https://{your_tenant}.sharepoint.com/sites/accounting/Shared Documents/Folder A/Document 123, it only counts the characters highlighted in BOLD above (starting with sites).

How to mitigate SharePoint 400 Character URL limit

• Create sites and document libraries with shorter names
• Flatten the folder hierarchy within a document library (remove multiple layers of folders)
• Change the length of the folder and file names
• Consider using metadata

Windows 256 Character path limit

An even stricter limit you might encounter is the 256-character limit on your Windows PC. As users syncchronize the document libraries to their PCs, they will encounter error messages when trying to do anything within synchronized document libraries (i.e., create folders, rename documents, etc.).

Symptoms

Inability to create new folders within synchronized libraries – getting an error message above

Inability to create or rename documents within folders that take the path above the 256 limit in the synchronized document libraries

Inability to copy documents or folders into the folders that are taking the path beyond the 256 limit in the synchronized document libraries

How to mitigate Windows 256 character path limit

• Disable sync for the document libraries

Flatten the folder hierarchy within the libraries

• Consider using metadata in SharePoint

You can try moving the folder to the root of the drive. For example, if the files are within the "files" folder at "C:\Users\NameUser\files", move them to "C:\files".

If there are any misunderstandings, please let me know

Best regards，

Maycon Novaes

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