# Long Filenames / Mapped Drives
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [February 25, 2016, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695 "2016-02-25T12:36:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2016, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/1 "2016-02-25T12:36:58Z")
I have converted a number of SACD ISOs to FLAC using jRiver. The resulting path / filenames of the converted FLAC files are given by jRiver, so I have little control over them. Many paths are \>259 characters long and this is causing problems in MP3Tag.
I tried using a mapped drive to shorten the paths, but MP3Tag does not seem to be able to work with mapped drives.
Are there any plans to add long path support and mapped drives compatibility?
jRiver supports both, but it does not have the functionality I require.
Thanks a lot and best regards
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/2 "2016-02-25T13:21:57Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> ... Many paths are \>259 characters long and this is causing problems in MP3Tag. I tried using a mapped drive to shorten the paths, but MP3Tag does not seem to be able to work with mapped drives. ...
Still on Win XP I did a quick test with Windows Explorer and Mp3tag and DOS commandline and can say, that Mp3tag is able to work with a file of entire filepathname length of 351 characters, ...
when the path is "splitted" by a SUBST command, ...
which creates a new drive letter, ...
so Mp3tag can handle the remaining folderpath and can load and work with the file.
DD.20160225.1521.CET
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2016, 4:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/3 "2016-02-28T04:25:22Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Still on Win XP I did a quick test with Windows Explorer and Mp3tag and DOS commandline and can say, that Mp3tag is able to work with a file of entire filepathname length of 351 characters, ...
> when the path is "splitted" by a SUBST command, ...
> which creates a new drive letter, ...
> so Mp3tag can handle the remaining folderpath and can load and work with the file.
>
> DD.20160225.1521.CET
Hi Detlev,
Thanks for the hint. I must be doing something wrong. I defined my drive as
Subst U: "D:\RF My Music\My Music Archive". The drive seems to map correctly.
However when I try to find the drive in MP3Tag, it says the drive cannot be found. The same happens for a network drive that I mapped.
Wonder where I am going wrong.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2016, 7:59am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/4 "2016-02-28T07:59:20Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> Hi Detlev,
> Thanks for the hint. I must be doing something wrong. I defined my drive as
> Subst U: "D:\RF My Music\My Music Archive". The drive seems to map correctly.
> However when I try to find the drive in MP3Tag, it says the drive cannot be found. The same happens for a network drive that I mapped.
> Wonder where I am going wrong.
as accessing the periphery relies on the returned values from the OS, I wonder how you test that the mappings are correct.
Have you tried to access the mapped paths with the Windows Explorer and/or the command shell?
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2016, 8:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/5 "2016-02-28T08:07:00Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> as accessing the periphery relies on the returned values from the OS, I wonder how you test that the mappings are correct.
> Have you tried to access the mapped paths with the Windows Explorer and/or the command shell?
Yes I can use the mapped local and network drives without any issues in Windows Explorer, jRiver, Foobar2000. Can't figure out why I can't see them in MP3Tag
---
### Author:  [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/6 "2016-02-28T08:50:32Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> However when I try to find the drive in MP3Tag, it says the drive cannot be found.
How do try to load the folder or the files in MP3Tag?
If you select "change Directory" does MP3Tag not show your driver letter?
If the drive letter shows in the windows explorer, what happens if you select it and with the context menue (right-mouse-click) open it with MP3Tag?
What happens if you drag&drop the folder to Mp3Tag?
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/7 "2016-03-11T10:21:48Z")
> [@poster](#):
>
> How do try to load the folder or the files in MP3Tag?
> If you select "change Directory" does MP3Tag not show your driver letter?
>
> If the drive letter shows in the windows explorer, what happens if you select it and with the context menue (right-mouse-click) open it with MP3Tag?
>
> What happens if you drag&drop the folder to Mp3Tag?
If I select "change Directory", MP3Tag does not show any mapped drive letters.
If I drag & drop an unmapped directory onto the MP3Tag Icon, the directory is opened in MP3Tag. If I do the same thing with a directory on a mapped drive, MP3Tag does not open at all. When dropping the directory onto the Icon, a bubble shows up, saying "do you want to open the current directory with MP3Tag".
I have not configured MP3Tag to appear in the right-click menu, so I cannot test that.
Strange.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/8 "2016-03-11T17:55:40Z")
As I cannot look over your shoulder and see what exactly goes on on your machine, I can only assure you that any folder that can be opened with the Windows explorer (under the same account) can also be opened with MP3tag.
Are we talking about a genuine Windows or is it some kind of emulation or virtual machine?
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2016, 8:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/9 "2016-03-12T08:39:29Z")
Hallo Ohrenkino
The mystery is solved.
I used [http://www.ntwind.com/software/utilities/visual-subst.html](http://www.ntwind.com/software/utilities/visual-subst.html) to map a local directory to a drive letter and mp3tag does not seem to like that.
I have now used a batch file with the subst command and mp3tag sees the mapped drive.
Thanks for insisting.
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/10 "2016-05-23T05:44:00Z")
Unfortunately this issue has come back.
On Windows 7 Home Premium I can access my mapped drive W:\ from mp3tag without any issues.
On Windows 10 Pro, W:\ does not show up and right clicking W:\ and chosing mp3tag does not work either. After the right click, the mp3tag UAC confirmation window shows up, but when I confirm, nothing happens. mp3tag does not open.
I have mapped the drives in both operating systems exactly the same way, using the same batch file with subst commands.
From any other application, I can access W:\ under both operating systems without any issues.
This is a real mystery to me.
Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this issue?
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/11 "2016-05-23T06:26:29Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> ...I have mapped the drives in both operating systems exactly the same way, using the same batch file with subst commands.
I doubt that the subst command is correct for this application.
As it is a network topic, see e.g. this article how to assign a drive letter to a network path:
[http://www.howtogeek.com/118452/how-to-map...mpt-in-windows/](http://www.howtogeek.com/118452/how-to-map-network-drives-from-the-command-prompt-in-windows/)
---
### Author:  [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2016, 6:38am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/12 "2016-05-23T06:38:43Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> On Windows 10 Pro, W:\ does not show up and right clicking W:\ and chosing mp3tag does not work either. After the right click, the mp3tag UAC confirmation window shows up, but when I confirm, nothing happens. mp3tag does not open.
Where does it not show up? In Windows Explorer or in the "Change Directory" menue of Mp3Tag?
How do you create the subst-drive, elevated or not elevated?
Note:
If you create the subst-drive with administrative priveleges it will not show up in software with normal privileges. You then have to start this software with administrative priviles too. This is also valid for the other way round. Test this by starting MP3Tag as Admin (right mouse click - start as admin) and navigate with change directory).
You have to run a subst non-elevated if you want to make it available to non-elevated processes and elevated if you want to make it available to elevated processes.
---
### Author:  [@sam.vanratt](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/sam.vanratt)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/13 "2016-11-06T12:32:06Z")
> [@jacobacci](#):
>
> Unfortunately this issue has come back.
>
> On Windows 7 Home Premium I can access my mapped drive W:\ from mp3tag without any issues.
>
> On Windows 10 Pro, W:\ does not show up and right clicking W:\ and chosing mp3tag does not work either. After the right click, the mp3tag UAC confirmation window shows up, but when I confirm, nothing happens. mp3tag does not open.
>
> I have mapped the drives in both operating systems exactly the same way, using the same batch file with subst commands.
>
> From any other application, I can access W:\ under both operating systems without any issues.
>
> This is a real mystery to me.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this issue?
Hi
that problems comes from the UAC impersonification itself. As soon as you say yes to UAC you are another (super) person and so your standard usermapping does not longer show the mounted subst. A batch would solve this run via "run as admin".
CHeers
Sam
---
### Author:  [@jacobacci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/jacobacci)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/long-filenames-mapped-drives/17695/14 "2016-11-06T12:53:05Z")
> [@poster](#):
>
> If you create the subst-drive with administrative priveleges it will not show up in software with normal privileges. You then have to start this software with administrative priviles too. This is also valid for the other way round. Test this by starting MP3Tag as Admin (right mouse click - start as admin) and navigate with change directory).
>
> You have to run a subst non-elevated if you want to make it available to non-elevated processes and elevated if you want to make it available to elevated processes.
Hi Poster
sorry, I haven't checked back to the forum in a while. The elevated / non elevated situation was indeed the issue. Thanks a lot for your help!