How to Find Long Paths in Windows
Windows' historic MAX_PATH limit of 260 characters still bites: applications refuse to open files, backup and sync jobs skip them silently, and file system migrations fail on paths the destination can't accept. FolderSizes finds every over-length file and folder path across your drives and network shares - before those tools choke on them.
Getting Started
- Launch FolderSizes and click the Search button in the ribbon bar.
- On the Search Paths tab, add the local or network locations to scan - multiple paths are supported.
- Click the Samples button and select the pre-configured template "Find Long File and Folder Paths.xml".
- Click Start to run the search.
Reviewing the Search Rules
The sample template loads two rules - one for files, one for folders. Double-click either rule to open the editor and review its Name Len tab: as configured, it matches paths with more than 255 characters, with the "Count the full path length" option enabled so the entire path is evaluated, not just the file name. Adjust the threshold to suit your environment - for example, lower it to find paths that will break after a planned folder restructuring adds depth.
Working with the Results
Results list every item exceeding the threshold with its full path, size, allocated size, and any other columns you enable. From there you can rename, move, or archive the offenders directly, or export the list for remediation planning. Proactively hunting long paths before a migration, backup rollout, or cloud sync deployment turns a class of mysterious failures into a ten-minute cleanup task.
Comparing tools? TreeSize offers a similar "Find Long Paths" feature only in its paid editions - FolderSizes includes path-length search rules in every edition, including the free one. See our full FolderSizes vs TreeSize comparison.