How to delete files where Windows tells me that the Path length/filename is too long

[BJtheDJ]

Have some directories that I wanted to transfer to another HD, but had a large number of

files left over when the move/copy failed due to the path length/filename being too long.

 

Here are a couple of examples:

 

J:\mp3 dvd\_Mutz 2018\MutzNutz Music Pack 107 2018\The Clash - Discography\Studio Albums\1979 - London Calling (25th Anniversary Legacy Edition)\London Calling - 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition, The Vanilla Tapes (Disc 2)\06 - Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine.mp3

 

J:\mp3 dvd\_Mutz 2018\MutzNutz Music Pack 156 2018\Partybreaks and Remixes - All In One October 001 (2018)\10. Jonny Laz _ Justin Timberlake Vs. David Guetta - Can't Stop The Feeling (Jonny Laz Vs. Dexterous Fmif Edit) (Jonny Laz Vs. Dexterous Fmif Edit)[Clean].mp3

 

I managed to copy the files by copying them to archives using WinRAR and then moving

the RAR files to the target directory and extracting the files, but that still left me with

the original files/directories.

 

I deleted almost all of those by adding them to an archive uisn WinRAR and using the

'delete file after archiving' option, but that left me with just the one directory-path to get

rid of - and that's the first one, The Clashes 'Vanilla Tapes'.

 

Ideas welcome, 'cos I am completely stumped here.

 

Oh! Running Windows 8.1 here

Edited January 7, 2021 by BJtheDJ

[MarkM]

I have this frequently with the MutzNutz files, the holding file rename that to a, if there is any sub folders then rename them to b c x y anything as long as it isn't a repeat and then you can move the long file if you still can't move the long file rename that file BUT you can only rename a long file 'if' you have already renamed the holding folder.

same thing if you choose to just delete the file as you get an error saying too long file name cannot be deleted etc etc

[Prom3th3uS]

Use PowerShell to move/copy/delete files. Without allowing OS to accept long paths.

Make your OS to Accept Long File Paths. No need to use PowerShell if you allowed long paths.

 

Everything explained here, Kindly,

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Optional: What I simply do when I face any issue like that, I use

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, it's a PowerShell script for OS'es, you can use this tiny tool to locate the long filenames/charters and rename them easily.

 

Cheers, I hope this helps, and you will get rid of it.

[BJtheDJ]

I have this frequently with the MutzNutz files, the holding file rename that to a, if there is any sub folders then rename them to b c x y anything as long as it isn't a repeat and then you can move the long file if you still can't move the long file rename that file BUT you can only rename a long file 'if' you have already renamed the holding folder.

same thing if you choose to just delete the file as you get an error saying too long file name cannot be deleted etc etc

Windows will not allow me to do anything at all to the file. Roght-clicking does not

show the usual menus that include rename, delete etc

 

With everything that I have done, I can no longer acces the final directory in the Path,

being told "Path...." is not accessible, and below that - access is denied.

 

Right-clicking the "1979 - London Calling (25th Anniversary Legacy Edition)" directory

gives me the normal options, but if I try any of them I'm told that I require permission.

 

Right-clicking and selecting Properties tells me that the folder is empty and is Read-Only,

attempting to change that atrrib fails.

[BJtheDJ]

Use PowerShell to move/copy/delete files. Without allowing OS to accept long paths.

Make your OS to Accept Long File Paths. No need to use PowerShell if you allowed long paths.

 

Everything explained here, Kindly,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 

Optional: What I simply do when I face any issue like that, I use

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, it's a PowerShell script for OS'es, you can use this tiny tool to locate the long filenames/charters and rename them easily.

 

Cheers, I hope this helps, and you will get rid of it.

I have no great experience of PowerShell. I did look at it late last year and searched online in vain for a list of commands, but eveyrthing that I found assumed that I alrady knew everything that there was to know about PowerShell.

 

The guide that you pointed me to will take a fair amount of reading so that will have to come a little later, butgave me some small cuse so I tried remove-item with the -force and -recurse switches. Tried it with the switches in either order JIC but got the same results:

 

[Hippy]

I cant say i have had any issues with deleting files as you show, but maybe, just maybe it might be because i use total commander for my file manipulation, and any that say i dont have permission i use a reg file called "take ownership" which gives you the option of owning any file and allowing you to alter it if it was saved by a different user. I might be taking out of my butt , and probably gets told i dont know what im talking about, but hey, i might not know, (but it works for me. once you enter the file into your reg, right click on any file and you will see "take Ownership" as an option and selecting it gives you full permission for that file. I have no idea who wrote it or even if it is available to download, or if im breaking any site rules, (sorry if i am).

TakeOwnership.zip

[BJtheDJ]

For those that might be interested, I've found what I

think is a brilliant work-round for this.

Open WinRAR and navigate to the folder/file causing

and the problem and delet/rename or whatever the

file from inside WinRAR.

For reasons that I have no interest in knowing, WinRAR

treats those ultra-long filenames as normal.

[FLYFIFER67]

Don't come on very often but I do so agree with all you people who have problems with file names being too long. My problem is the same with mp3 new releases. Spent many hours editing file names containing one of these semi colons. e.g. (. For some reason Roxio NXT 9 and NERO 2022 don't like it. Anybody out there got any ideas. I would be more than pleased to hear from you. And by the way, all you folk who upload MP3 new releases, thanks and keep up the good work

[BJtheDJ]

Don't come on very often but I do so agree with all you people who have problems with file names being too long. My problem is the same with mp3 new releases. Spent many hours editing file names containing one of these semi colons. e.g. (. For some reason Roxio NXT 9 and NERO 2022 don't like it. Anybody out there got any ideas. I would be more than pleased to hear from you. And by the way, all you folk who upload MP3 new releases, thanks and keep up the good work

Those new mp3 releases are the ones that I particularly have had

problems with, some give a folder a ultra long name and then have

another identically-named folder inside that - and then ultra-long

filenames as well.

 

Recently had a glut of mp3 files where the filenames had been

inflated to gigantic proportions by the inclusion nof every person

contribuitng the slightest thing to a recording, full names of every

member of a band etc.

 

Thing I can't get my head around is that I manage to download

these releases (initially to c:torrents\_running) with uTorrent - but

then can't move said files to (say) the root directiory of another

drive because filename length - how on eaqrth is it handled by the

OS when downloaded when the same OS then won't let you move,

or even rename, the files??

 

Still. WinRAR gives me the opportunity to rename those files easily

even when not using the program for it's archive/compressin

facilities.