Reserved File and Folder Names

Naming a File:
You can not use the following reserved characters in a file name:

> < : " / \ |

Note: The carat symbol (^) is also reserved in the FATxx disk formatting.

Naming a Folder:
You can not use the following for folder names:

CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, or LPT9

Note: With Windows NT Clock$ is also reserved.

Additional Information:
You can get away with naming a file something like, COM3.TXT but it is best not to. A file or folder name should not end with a space. A file or folder should not end with a period.

For more information on this subject:
Naming a File

Finding information about naming a folder is not always easy but there's some information there that you can read about.

OS: All Platforms > General
Date: 01/15/06

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