Fix Destination Path Too Long Error

As you name any folder on a Windows PC, you need to keep in mind that Windows has a maximum limit of using several characters for naming a file or folder. If the name of the folder or file increases, it will lengthen the destination full path in the File Explorer. At that time, users receive the error: “Destination Path Too Long. The file names 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” when they try to copy, move or alter those files or folders. Such error occurs because, in the majority of the cases, Microsoft has a 256/260 folder & file name limit. This is a bug which still exists in modern Windows and has not been fixed. This article will help you with some tricks to sort this issue.

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Fix Destination Path Too Long Error

Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.

Method 1: Temporarily rename the file extension to text

If you are trying to move some file that is a single file such as a .rar file or .zip file or .iso file, you can temporarily try to rename the file extension and revert it once you have moved the file. To do this the steps are –

1. Right-click on the .zip or .rar archive and choose Rename. Then, modify the extension to “txt”.

2. If you can’t see the extension types by default, access the View tab of File Explorer and check the box associated with File name extensions.

3. Move the file to where you want it to be, then right-click on it again, choose Rename and modify the extension back to what it was initially.

Method 2: Shorten the parent folder name

Another easy approach to avoid such error is to shorten the parent folder’s name. But, this method may not seem fruitful if many files are exceeding the length’s limit & restriction. This is possible if you have a limited or countable number of files and folders displaying such issue when you are moving, deleting or copying a file.

After you rename the file, you can easily Fix Destination Path Too Long Error, but if you’re still facing the above error message, continue with the next method.

Method 3: Delete folder using the freeware app: DeleteLongPath

You might encounter a situation where you want to delete multiple folders and sub-folders in which the character limit exceeds 260 characters. To help yourself, you can rely on a freeware name: “DeleteLongPath” to get around with such a problem. This lightweight program can automatically delete the folder structure and internally stored sub-folders and files. To do this the steps are –

1. Go to this link and download the application.

2. Extract the zip file and double-click on “DeleteLongPath” executable.

3. Click the Browse button & navigate to the folder which you cannot delete.

4. Now hit the “Delete” button & get rid of the files or folder which earlier you weren’t able to delete.

5. Press Yes, when you the final warning appears & wait to let the app delete the structure.

Method 4: Using the xcopy command in the elevated Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt. The user can perform this step by searching for ‘cmd’ and then press Enter.

2. Now, paste the following command in the command prompt & press Enter:

xcopy *path to source files* *path to destination* /O /X /E /H /K

3. Note that in place of the *path to source files* & * destination path* you have to replace it with your folder’s exact paths.

Method 5: Enable Long Path Support (Windows 10 built 1607 or higher)

In case you are Windows 10 user & you’ve upgraded to Anniversary Update (1607), you are eligible to disable the MAX_PATH limit. This will permanently fix destination path too long error, and the steps to do this are –

1. Press Windows Key + R then type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem

3. Make sure to select FileSystem from the right window pane double-click on the “LongPathsEnabled”.

4. Set its Value data to 1 and click Ok to make changes.

5. Now, close the registry editor and try moving those long named folders.

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I hope this article was helpful and now you can easily Fix Destination Path Too Long Error in Windows 10, but if you still have any questions regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.