🧹 File Name Cleaner
Clean and sanitize file names by removing invalid characters, special symbols, and ensuring cross-platform compatibility
How to Use This File Name Cleaner
Basic Usage:
- Enter file names you want to clean (one per line) in the text area
- Select your preferred cleaning mode (Safe, Strict, Aggressive, or Minimal)
- Choose how to handle spaces (keep, replace with underscores/dashes, or remove)
- Select case handling preference (preserve, lowercase, title case, or camelCase)
- Optionally set a maximum file name length limit
- Click generate to see cleaned file names with before/after comparison
- Copy the cleaned names for use in your file system
🔄 Live Example - Cross-Platform File Name Cleaning
project|files\data.txt
CON.txt
file with spaces.jpg
project_files_data.txt
CON_file.txt
file_with_spaces.jpg
Platform Compatibility: Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux file systems. Automatically handles Windows reserved names, Unix special characters, and length limits.
How It Works
File Name Cleaning Process:
- Character Analysis: Scans each file name for invalid characters based on the selected cleaning mode
- Character Removal: Removes problematic characters that could cause issues on different operating systems
- Space Handling: Processes spaces according to your preference (keep, replace, or remove)
- Case Conversion: Applies case formatting rules (preserve original, lowercase, title case, or camelCase)
- Length Validation: Truncates names that exceed the specified maximum length while preserving extensions
- Reserved Name Check: Identifies and modifies Windows reserved names (CON, PRN, AUX, etc.)
- Final Cleanup: Removes multiple consecutive separators and leading/trailing dots or separators
- Results Display: Shows before/after comparison with change indicators for easy review
When You Might Need This
- • Clean downloaded file names with special characters
- • Sanitize file names for cross-platform compatibility
- • Remove invalid characters from bulk file lists
- • Prepare file names for web upload systems
- • Clean file names for database storage
- • Sanitize document names for email attachments
- • Remove problematic characters from media files
- • Clean file names for backup and archival systems
- • Prepare file names for version control systems
- • Sanitize file names for automated processing scripts
Frequently Asked Questions
What characters are considered invalid in file names?
Invalid characters typically include: < > : " | ? * \ / and control characters. These can cause issues on different operating systems and file systems.
Will the tool preserve my file extensions?
Yes, by default the tool preserves file extensions unchanged. You can disable this option if you want to clean the entire file name including the extension.
What's the difference between cleaning modes?
Safe mode removes only invalid characters, Strict mode removes all special characters, Aggressive mode keeps only alphanumeric characters and basic punctuation, and Minimal mode removes only system-reserved characters.
Can I process multiple file names at once?
Yes, you can enter multiple file names (one per line) and the tool will clean all of them simultaneously, showing before and after comparisons.
Is there a limit to file name length?
You can set a maximum length limit (up to 255 characters). Most file systems support up to 255 characters for file names, though some have lower limits.