When you try to extract a Path too long Error 0x80010135 on Windows 11/10 computer, you may get the Interrupted Action prompt stating Error 0x80010135: Path too Long. This post is intended to help you with the most suitable solutions you can apply to easily resolve the issue on your system.
The main reasons for this issue include:
- File paths longer than 260 characters because the Windows 32 API library does not support file paths with over
- 260 characters.
- File corruption
- Malware infection
- Incorrect or unsuccessful installation of software
- Accidental deletion of necessary system file or entry
Fix Path too long Error 0x80010135
Related Read: Email Signature in Outlook on Windows 11/10
When you receive the Error 0x80010135: Path too Long Interrupted Action prompt while trying to extract or unzip a Zip file or any other archive file on your Windows 11/10 computer, our recommended solutions below should help you resolve the issue.
Archives are files that contain one or multiple data files, with Zip, RAR, Unix Tar, and CAB archives being the most commonly used. These types of files, often referred to as compressed folders, come in handy when copying and sending multiple files because they provide easier storage and portability. Archives also compress files, thereby reducing the amount of space they take up.
- There are many alternative zip file extraction tools available. Some of the most popular ones are 7-Zip,
- WinRAR, and Bandizip.
- Extract the archive file to the root folder or only extract the sub-folders.
- The Robocopy or XCopy command can be used to copy files from one location to another.
- Enable Long Paths Support in Windows
Rename the archive file to a shorter name, eg temp.zip. If it contains several parent/child folders, open the archive file first and locate any directories with long names. If you can’t rename the sub-folders within the archive, rename the archive directory itself to a shorter name and try extracting the archive contents again.
1 Use an alternative Zip File Extraction Tool
The Windows built-in utility for zipping and unzipping files can work well, but in some cases the Path too long Error 0x80010135 can occur because the tool cannot handle a particular zip format. To get around this limitation, you can use an alternative third-party compression or decompression software such as 7-Zip – these work well with most archive file formats.
2 Extract the archive file to the root folder or Extract sub-folders only
Extract the archive file to the root folder by following these steps:
- Rename the zip file to a shorter parent name.
- Copy and move the file to the C:\ partition or a folder in disk C:\.
It’s shorter to extract files to a root folder by adding fewer characters to the file path. Make sure the root folder is on C:\, D:\, or any you prefer.
Finally, extract the zip file in the folder in the C:\ partition.
Open archive folders with long filenames and only extract them to a directory. Once done, you can now organize them according to the original archive by creating folders and moving the sub-folders inside them. Use short names for the new folder.
3 Use the Robocopy or XCopy command
Robocopy, or “Robust File Copy,” is a command-line directory/file replication command. By default, Robocopy will only copy a file if the source and destination have different time stamps or different file sizes. Also, Robocopy can handle UNC pathnames, including long pathnames over 256 characters, though files with very long pathnames may be difficult to access using Windows File Explorer.
To copy the zip contents to the destination folder on your Windows 11/10 PC using the Robocopy command, do the following:
- Press the Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog box, type cmd and then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open Command Prompt in elevated mode.
- In the command prompt window, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter:
robocopy SourceFilePath DestinationPath /E /copyall
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robocopy C:\src C:\dst /E /copyall
Alternatively, you can run the following command:
robocopy C:\source D:\destination *.zip /MIR /v /s /XX
In order to prevent copying any empty folder in the archive file, the /s switch is needed. In order to prevent the deletion of older files in the destination folder, the /xx switch is needed.
The XCopy tool, which stands for EXTENDED Copy, is a popular command-line utility for copying massive amounts of data in Windows. The command creates files with the archive attribute set, whether or not this attribute was set in the source file. To use the XCopy command to copy the zip contents to the destination folder on your Windows 11/10 PC, run the following command:This command will copy all of the files in the zip file to the destination folder, including any files with the archive attribute set.
xcopy SourceFilePath DestinationPath /O /X /E /H /K
4 Enable Long Paths Support in Windows
The maximum length for a path in the Windows API is 260 characters, with some exceptions. A local path is structured as follows:
- Drive letter
- Colon
- Backslash
- Name components separated by backslashes
- A terminating null character
By default, Win32 Long Paths support is disabled in Windows.To enable Long Paths support in Windows, you need to use Local Group Policy Editor, Registry Editor, PowerShell, or Command Prompt.
To enable Long Path Support via Local Group Policy Editor, follow these steps:
- Press the Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog box type gpedit.msc and hit Enter to open Group Policy Editor.
- Inside the Local Group Policy Editor, use the left pane to navigate to the path below:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem
- At the location, on the right pane, double-click on Enable Win32 long paths entry to edit its properties.
- In the open policy window, set the radio button to Enabled.
- Click Apply > OK to save the changes.
- Exit the Local Group Policy Editor.
- Restart your computer.
For Windows 10 Home users, you can add the Local Group Policy Editor feature to your computer and then follow the instructions as provided above. You can also use the Registry Editor, PowerShell, or Command Prompt to do this.
To enable Long Paths Support via PowerShell, follow these steps:
- Open Windows Terminal in elevated mode.
- In the PowerShell console, type or copy and paste the command below and hit Enter:
New-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem” -Name “LongPathsEnabled” -Value 1 –
- PropertyType DWORD –Force
- Exit Windows Terminal once the command executes.
- Restart PC.
Edit the registry via Command Prompt to enable Long Paths Support.To enable Long Paths Support via Command Prompt:
- Open Command Prompt in elevated mode.
- In the command prompt window, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter:
reg.exe Add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem” /V “LongPathsEnabled” /T REG_DWORD /D “1”
- Exit CMD prompt once the command executes.
- Restart PC.
To enable Long Paths Support via Registry Editor, follow these steps:
Since this is a registry operation, backing up the registry or creating a system restore point is recommended. Once done, you can proceed as follows:
- Press the Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
- Navigate or jump to the registry key path below:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
- At the location, on the right pane, double-click the LongPathsEnabled key to edit its properties.
- In the properties dialog, input 1 in the Value data field.
- Click OK or hit Enter to save the change.
- Exit Registry Editor.
The LongPathsEnabled key in the registry can be enabled to allow paths up to 32,767 characters.The LongPathsEnabled key in the registry can be enabled to allow paths up to 32,767 characters.
- Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog box, type notepad and hit Enter to open Notepad.
- Copy and paste the code below into the text editor.
- Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
- Now, click the File option from the menu and select Save As button.
- Choose a location (preferably desktop) where you want to save the file.
- Enter a name with .reg extension (eg; EnableLongPaths.reg).
- Choose All Files from the Save as type drop-down list.
- Double-click the saved .reg file to merge it.
- If prompted, click on Run > Yes (UAC) > Yes > OK to approve the merge.
- You can now delete the .reg file if you like.
- Restart PC.
How do I bypass the path of a file for too long?
If the path is too long, first copy the folder to the upper levels in File Explorer and then move it to your local computer. If file names are too long, first try to zip the files with an archive application and then copy the archive file to your local computer and then extract the contents. You can also use third-party apps.
How can I copy more than 256 characters?
Windows has a MAX_PATH limitation of 255 characters for the entire path to a file. Microsoft has a command line copy program called “Robocopy” (Robust Copy) that can copy files without this limitation. ROBOCOPY will accept UNC pathnames including UNC pathnames over 256 characters long.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.