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What are the limitations of NTFS regarding the number of directories and max allowed files per directory?

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Maximum allowed is pretty generous. Unlimited files in unlimited directories. The maximum files and directories on a VOLUME is limited to unsigned 32-bit minus 1 (4,294,967,295 objects). Practical limits are another thing, though.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc780559(WS.10).aspx

Edit: 64-bit windows doesn't seem to change things. I can find no evidence that 64-bit servers have higher limits. The file limit is more of a file-system format problem than a kernel bit-width problem. The next version of Windows may allow more files, it doesn't look like Windows 2008 R2 will be changing this.

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  • 32-bit minus 1 on 64 bit Windows as well?
    – Tomalak
    Jun 27, 2009 at 7:45
  • I think i ran into a depth of folder issue once. 260 characters in the directory\file name.
    – user10711
    Jun 27, 2009 at 18:27
  • 256 characters I think - for a file- or a single directory name regardless of its depth - and 32767 (unicode) characters maximum for a complete path.
    – Oskar Duveborn
    Jun 27, 2009 at 20:54
  • 260 characters is a limit of the Windows API, not NTFS per se. See ratsauce.co.uk/notablog/longfilenames.asp.
    – ThatGraemeGuy
    Jun 27, 2009 at 21:00
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The maximum number of files per volume is 4,294,967,295 , regardless of where they are located.

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