Long paths, long names and special characters
Limits SharePoint puts on names and paths, what the app does about them, and what to rename at the source.
SharePoint's limits
| Limit | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Full path (decoded) | 400 characters, from the site address to the end of the file name | |
| Characters not allowed in names | `" * : < > ? / \ | ` |
| Names | can't start or end with a space | |
| File size | 250 GB |
What the app does
- Long names (over 200 characters in one folder or file name) are handled automatically – no rename needed.
- Apostrophes and
#%&in names are handled. - Office lock files (
~$…) and system files (desktop.ini,Thumbs.db,.DS_Store) are skipped on purpose. - Names with characters SharePoint doesn't allow, names starting or ending with a space, and paths over 400 characters are reported as errors with the reason – the rest of the copy continues.
How to fix skipped items
- In the report, filter by Errors and Export to CSV.
- Rename the items at the source (or shorten the folder path) and Run again with Copy if newer.
- For a path over 400 characters, copy the deep folder to a shorter destination path (choose a folder closer to the library root as the destination).
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Updated 2026-10-26