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Windows Compatibility and Restricted Filenames
Windows Compatibility and Restricted Filenames

Information on filename restrictions for compatibility between macOS and Windows, and how to manage these settings.

Updated this week

By default, Suite restricts the below characters in filenames to ensure a seamless experience between Mac and Windows users.

๐Ÿ’ก If you are a Mac-only team (and never collaborate with Windows users) and want to disable these restrictions click here.

Or click here for instructions on re-naming multiple items on Mac.

Restricted Characters

The following characters cannot be used in file names within Suite Storage:

  • >

  • <

  • ?

  • :

  • |

  • *

  • "

  • /

File Name Restrictions

File and Folder names cannot end with a period (".") or a space.

The following file names are reserved and cannot be used for files:

  • CON

  • PRN

  • AUX

  • NUL

  • COM1

  • COM2

  • COM3

  • COM4

  • COM5

  • COM6

  • COM7

  • COM8

  • COM9

  • LPT1

  • LPT2

  • LPT3

  • LPT4

  • LPT5

Additionally, file names that directly match the reserved names above, such as "CON.mp4", are not allowed

Disabling Windows Compatibility

โš ๏ธ IMPORTANT
Adjusting this setting affects everyone on your Suite team. If turned off, it will permit the use of special characters in filenames that Windows doesn't allow. This could complicate things for team members using Windows to work with files in Suite. It's only recommended to disable this setting if your team exclusively uses Mac computers.

Step 1: In the Suite Application, click on "My Account" and then "Advanced Settings"

Step 2: Toggle the "Windows Compatibility" setting to "No"

Step 3: You and your team will need to quit and restart the Suite application for the changes to take effect.

What happens if a Windows user needs to access my Suite drive after changing this setting?

Windows team members will have access to all files without restricted characters in their filenames and can work with these freely. However, files that contain restricted characters cannot be accessed or edited.

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