Disable 8.3 Filenames on NTFS Using Regedit

Disabling 8.3 short filename creation on NTFS volumes improves file system performance and enhances security by preventing the generation of legacy DOS-compatible names. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for Windows administrators to globally disable 8.3 filename generation across all NTFS volumes using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit).

Steps to Disable 8.3 Filenames via Registry Editor

  1. Open the Registry Editor
    • Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
    • Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
    • Confirm the User Account Control (UAC) prompt if prompted.
  2. Navigate to the FileSystem Key
    • In the left-hand navigation pane, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
  3. Modify the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation Value
    • Locate the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation entry in the right-hand pane.
    • If the entry does not exist, right-click an empty area in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation.
    • Double-click NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation to open its properties.
    • Set the Value data field to 1.
    • Ensure the Base is set to Hexadecimal or Decimal (both accept 1).
    • Click OK to save the changes.
  4. Registry Value Reference
    • 0: Enables 8.3 name creation for all volumes on the system.
    • 1: Disables 8.3 name creation for all volumes on the system.
    • 2: Enables 8.3 name creation on a per-volume basis.
    • 3: Disables 8.3 name creation on all volumes except the system volume.
  5. Restart the System
    • Close the Registry Editor.
    • Restart the computer or server for the changes to take effect.

Once the system restarts, Windows will stop generating short 8.3 filenames for any newly created files across all NTFS volumes. Existing short filenames will remain unchanged unless manually stripped using the fsutil command-line utility.