How to fix fatal: cannot create directory: Filename too long. Enable long paths with git config --global core.longpaths true in Git

The quickest fix is to enable Git's long path support. This tells Git to use Windows extended-length paths:

git config --global core.longpaths true

This applies the setting for all repositories for your user account. No administrator privileges required.

Verify the setting:

git config --global --get core.longpaths
# Should output: true

After enabling, retry your clone or checkout:

git clone <repository-url>
# or
git checkout <branch-name>

If you want long paths enabled for all users on the machine, use the system-level configuration. This requires administrator privileges:

Option 1: Run Git Bash as Administrator

git config --system core.longpaths true

Option 2: Run Command Prompt as Administrator

git config --system core.longpaths true

Option 3: Run PowerShell as Administrator

git config --system core.longpaths true

This modifies the Git system configuration file (typically C:\Program Files\Git\etc\gitconfig).

Note: If you get "error: could not lock config file", you need to run as Administrator.

If you prefer not to change your global settings, you can enable long paths for a single clone operation:

git clone -c core.longpaths=true <repository-url>

This passes the configuration as a command-line option, applying it only for this operation and the resulting repository.

For an existing repository that failed mid-clone:
1. Delete the partially cloned folder
2. Re-run the clone with the -c option
3. Or add the setting to the existing repo:

cd <repo-folder>
git config core.longpaths true
git checkout .

For comprehensive long path support, enable it at the Windows operating system level. This requires Windows 10 version 1607 (Anniversary Update) or later.

Option 1: PowerShell (as Administrator)

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "LongPathsEnabled" -Value 1 -Type DWord

Option 2: Registry Editor (regedit)
1. Press Win+R, type regedit, press Enter
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
3. Find or create a DWORD value named LongPathsEnabled
4. Set its value to 1

Option 3: Group Policy (Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise)
1. Press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter
2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem
3. Double-click "Enable Win32 long paths"
4. Select "Enabled" and click OK

Important: Restart your computer after making this change.

This enables long path support for all applications that opt in, not just Git.

If you cannot enable long paths (e.g., corporate restrictions), reduce the total path length by cloning to a shorter base path:

Instead of:

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Projects\Company\Department\Project

Use:

# Create a short path close to root
mkdir C:\dev
cd C:\dev
git clone <repository-url>

Or use a drive letter substitute:

# Create a virtual drive letter for a long path
subst X: "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Projects"
cd X:
git clone <repository-url>

This effectively shortens the base path, leaving more characters available for file paths within the repository.

If the clone or checkout failed partway through, you may have a corrupted working directory. Here's how to recover:

For failed clones:

# Remove the partial clone
rm -rf <repo-folder>

# Enable long paths first
git config --global core.longpaths true

# Clone again
git clone <repository-url>

For existing repositories with checkout issues:

# Enable long paths for this repo
cd <repo-folder>
git config core.longpaths true

# Reset the working directory
git reset --hard HEAD

# If files are still missing, force checkout
git checkout -f HEAD

For stubborn cases:

# Clear the working directory and re-checkout
git clean -fdx
git checkout -f HEAD

Warning: git clean -fdx removes all untracked files including ignored files. Make sure you don't have uncommitted work you want to keep.

If long path issues persist or you frequently work with repositories that have path length problems, consider using WSL:

Install WSL (Windows 10/11):

# Run as Administrator
wsl --install

Clone within WSL:

# In WSL terminal
cd ~
git clone <repository-url>

WSL uses the Linux filesystem, which supports paths up to 4096 characters by default. This completely bypasses Windows path length restrictions.

Accessing WSL files from Windows:
- From Windows Explorer: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\<username>\<repo>
- From VS Code: Install the "Remote - WSL" extension

Note: For best performance, keep repositories within the WSL filesystem (/home/...) rather than accessing Windows drives (/mnt/c/...) from WSL.