WinRAR Extract Error: Total Path And File Name Length Must Not Exceed 260 Characters
Posted by alex in Errors at 1:14 PMYesterday when extracting a ZIP file created with WinRAR I received dozens of errors during the process. The file I was extracting was generated from the entire Documents and Settings folder on a Windows XP computer and I was extracting it to the Desktop of another user on another computer. The issue is the fact that the path and/or filename exceeded the 260 characters which is set by WinRAR. Below I show some output from the errors received as well as two tips that should help resolve the problem.
WinRAR ZIP File Extraction Error Logs:
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tmage;kw=body%20image%20issues;!c=sex-love-life;!c=2008;!c=09;!c=10-things-hes-thinking-when-youre-naked;!c=list;sz=120x60;dcopt=ist;tile=2;ord=1561529965128864[1].5
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tmage;kw=body%20image%20issues;!c=sex-love-life;!c=2008;!c=09;!c=10-things-hes-thinking-when-youre-naked;!c=list;sz=728x90;dcopt=ist;tile=1;ord=1561529965128864[1].5
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tn;chan=love;sect=lnsunderstandmen;sub=whathethinks;pageid=83pt4j0s;cont=12;tandomad=none;sz=970x66,728x90;pos=1;tile=1;dcopt=ist;pm=1;qsg=D;uvi=0;pc=0;ord=550602[1]
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tove;sect=lnsunderstandmen;sub=whathethinks;pageid=83pt4j0s;cont=12;tandomad=none;sz=120x600,160x600,300x600,300x250;pos=5;tile=5;pm=1;qsg=D;uvi=0;pc=0;ord=555802[1]
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Trstandmen;chan=love;sect=lnsunderstandmen;sub=whathethinks;pageid=83pt4j0s;cont=12;tandomad=none;sz=468x60,728x90;pos=11;tile=11;pm=1;qsg=D;uvi=0;pc=0;ord=550602[1]
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Trstandmen;chan=love;sect=lnsunderstandmen;sub=whathethinks;pageid=8k0fpvx7;cont=12;tandomad=none;sz=468x60,728x90;pos=11;tile=11;pm=1;qsg=D;uvi=0;pc=0;ord=333702[1]
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Ttive%20body%20image;kw=body%20image%20issues;!c=sex-love-life;!c=2008;!c=09;!c=10-things-hes-thinking-when-youre-naked;!c=list;sz=4x1;tile=3;ord=2333175297282204[1]
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tve%20body%20image;kw=body%20image%20issues;!c=sex-love-life;!c=2008;!c=09;!c=10-things-hes-thinking-when-youre-naked;!c=list;sz=4x1;tile=3;ord=3924917962762420[1].5
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5HQ7Q8J5Tve%20body%20image;kw=body%20image%20issues;!c=sex-love-life;!c=2008;!c=09;!c=10-things-hes-thinking-when-youre-naked;!c=list;sz=4x1;tile=3;ord=4045017525028294[1].5
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5IA3OYESB\0s0FWnlY98EmUp_WyMSsYSubryOOdoMVYNCQBVXBTvG7OgzvV5NKpY-uDPRYr2PWo3YT21ajxaPlmSQXz4BeN8VtMTe9v0Sp0uzVn2T9B7pX9GU5uBtsdRhynTuX_j2uoaI91sW0POWSNt59OK5QEDlGKqkNk[1].gif
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5IA3OYESB;sz=300x250;klg=en;kt=K;kw64=bGEgbG9iYSBzaGFraXJhIGVuIGVzcGHDsW9s;kga=-1;kr=F;kgg=-1;kcr=us;dc_dedup=1;kmyd=ad_creative_1;tile=1;dcopt=ist;ord=4215402616522453[1].5
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
! C:Documents and SettingsShopDesktopsierra.zip: Cannot create MarcusLocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5JDN6BX8Hsize=728x90;noperf=1;alias=93301008;kvpg=tvlistings[1].aol%2Flistings%2Fky%2Flouisville%2Finsight;kvmn=93301008;target=_blank;aduho=240;grp=155673390;misc=155673390
Total path and file name length must not exceed 260 characters
! The system cannot find the path specified.
As you can see above the files and folders being extracted were deep into one of the users Temporary Internet folders which would explain the extra long paths and the winrar error. Use the tips below to shorten the path that files and folders are being extracted to and this should resolve any errors during the uncompress process.
Tip Number One: Rename WinRAR File
In this example I was extracting a file named sierra.zip which then generates a folder for the files to be extracted to called sierra/. Sometimes the file name will be longer thus adding more characters to the extraction path. You should first rename the ZIP or RAR file to something shorter such as a.rar or a.zip. So in my example it only saves us 5 characters from the length of the path but depending on the name of the file this could save many more characters from the length of the path.
Tip Number Two: Extract To Root Directory
Also in this example I was extracting to a users desktop on a totally different computer but because I was doing this it adds “C:\Documents and Settings\User\Desktop” to the path. Instead if you extract to the root of the C directory this will save a bunch more characters. In this example we save 33 more characters in length.
After using both of the tips above I was able to extract the ZIP file without issue.
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Entries (RSS)
you are using Desktop for extract. (C:/Documents and Settings/Shop/Desktop/sierra.zip)
use only drive name to extract. (C:/ierra.zip)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:57 PM
Hello CG Diksha,
Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. The article is about exactly what you say in your comment….
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Lucas Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 AM
You can also have winrar make a self-extractor (.exe) file that will make it work.
[Reply]
THANKS A LOTSSSSS!!!!
you really saved my day..
it works PERFECTLY..
thank you thank you.. (^_^)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
December 28th, 2010 at 9:53 PM
Hello rio,
No problem at all. Thanks so much for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Extracting to the root is the best way to do it. Less hassle, then just move the extracted files back to where you want. Thank for the wonderful tip.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
January 11th, 2011 at 5:53 PM
Hello tran,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanx Alex for the advice on renaming the RAR file to a shorter name, solved my problem, now I know, thanx….
[Reply]
alex Reply:
February 14th, 2011 at 10:32 PM
Hello Sean,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
try with 7 zip. It work perfect!
[Reply]
alex Reply:
March 5th, 2011 at 12:09 AM
Hello mihaiarte,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks mate, this saved me going mad…… :-)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
March 27th, 2011 at 1:49 PM
Hello boyo,
No problem at all. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
okay, i got this error too, and i knew how to fix it by the time i even saw the error message. but that isn’t my issue, when i broke the operation because of the error, the folder i was trying to extract wasn’t there, but the space was still taken up from my hdd.
any way i could get that space back? i kinda need it.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 4th, 2011 at 8:20 PM
Hello David,
What specific operating system? Have you rebooted? … sounds like WinRaR still has the file open.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
My friend, this is good advice. Nevertheless, I still have issues. When I decompress the file into C: root drive everything is Ok but when I try to move the extracted file to another location it says that “certain files could not be dleted nor moved because the name is too long” any ideas? Cheers
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 5:12 PM
Hello Dark,
You are running into the exact same issue. You will either need to reduce the number of directories in the extracted files, shorten the names of the directories, or some combination of both.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks for Posting………..
Save my time…………..
[Reply]
alex Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Hello Amal,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks ^_^
[Reply]
alex Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 8:16 PM
Hello Yumi,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks man… u save my day!
[Reply]
alex Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 8:15 PM
Hello nahrafqifahs,
No problem. Glad we could help save the day!
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
thanks a lot, people like u make the internet awesome
[Reply]
alex Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 1:38 PM
Hello dizzo,
No problem at all. Thanks for leaving feedback!~
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
thanx alot !
[Reply]
alex Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 7:30 PM
Hello yce,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
thanks a lot, awesome tip number 2. You save my day too, thanks again
[Reply]
alex Reply:
October 4th, 2011 at 2:51 AM
Hello bo0x,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
it works properly,
thank you very much,
have a nice day.. :-)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
December 10th, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Hello scarface,
Great to hear. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks tip 2 great
[Reply]
alex Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 6:21 PM
Hello David,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks man It works :)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
July 15th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Hello NIkola,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks a ton for the solution. No doubt its a very simple tip but it helped me a lot & saved lots of time.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
July 15th, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Hello Thanks,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
I have an error msg while extracting files using winrar. The msg is
“The system cannot find the file specified”
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 8th, 2012 at 9:26 PM
Hello Ashwdeep,
That would seem to indicate that whatever file you are attempting to extract does not exist. You might try renaming the file, right click it, and extract from that menu that will appear.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks man…its work.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 1st, 2012 at 4:01 PM
Hello mm,
No problem. Thanks for leaving feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
I’m in a fix: I use Windows 7, and I downloaded a .rar archive which was split into 7 parts, and I’m pretty sure it was created under the Linux OS, so within the archive itself some file path names were longer than the 260 character limit for windows. Even when I moved the part files to the root directory, some files just won’t extract. I even renamed the part files to single character names, but long folder names within the archive cannot be renamed, the rename option is greyed out in winrar. Is there a “combine part files” option within winrar to ‘unsplit’ the archive WITHOUT extracting? I’ve succeeded in combining them using 7zip, but neither winrar or 7zip would let me rename folders within the combined archive, and some files were also missing in the combined archive, most likely skipped due to long path names. Just in case it matters, the archive is also password protected, but I have the password. Any helpful advice? Like third party programs I could use to rename those folders within the archive? Or any other workaround methods. Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks in advance.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
July 15th, 2012 at 4:27 PM
Hello VVen,
You might try installing VMWare Player and launch a version of Linux to extract the file? You can get configured versions of Linux such as Backtrack Linux that come in the VMWare Player format already.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thank you worked great for me :)
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 9:57 PM
Hello Appreciated,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Great tip! Thank you, using the root worked great.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
April 22nd, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Hello Verne,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Thanks..Extract to root worked for me..
[Reply]
alex Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Hello Killer,
Great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Well… these tips are useless since they save just a few characters. I have a better solution for ya: use total commander. It can handle long paths. WAY longer paths than 260 characters.
cheers
[Reply]
alex Reply:
June 12th, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Hello betterTips,
That would always be an option but for a quick work around I personally would still prefer the solution in the article. Thanks for taking the time to offer your opinion.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
two tips not worked,it is showin same error,all songs are playing,i cannot unzipping it,how can i do this
[Reply]
alex Reply:
June 30th, 2012 at 4:08 PM
Hello suresh,
This would mean that the length is still longer than what is allowed. You might try unpacking on a different OS if you continue to have the same issue.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
thanks the Root direcroy top helped :D
[Reply]
alex Reply:
July 15th, 2012 at 5:16 PM
Hello salll,
Great to hear the article helped you resolve your issue. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
Very useful article. after reading this, I applied and its working. thanks
[Reply]
alex Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 5:02 AM
Hello SIDDU abadboy,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
hey alex thanks a lot man for your useful tips.both ur tips worked g8t 4 me…
[Reply]
thanks … tip number two works … :))
[Reply]
Thanks. Tip #2 worked.
[Reply]
alex Reply:
November 18th, 2012 at 7:48 PM
Hello Ethan,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
[Reply]
You can also have winrar make a self-extractor (.exe) file that will make it work.
[Reply]