Disabling 8.3 File Names May Give Windows 11 a Performance Boost

Disabling Windows 8.3 file names could improve performance in some Windows workloads, especially when handling very large numbers of files.

A Windows user reports faster file browsing, searches, and transfers after disabling the legacy 8.3 short file name feature.

Windows still supports 8.3 aliases for compatibility with older software. Long file names can receive shorter aliases that usually contain a tilde.

Microsoft also allows users to disable 8.3 name creation for performance reasons, either system-wide or on individual volumes.

The biggest gains may appear with millions of files

The user reported smoother folder browsing, faster searches, and improved transfers involving external drives and Android devices over USB or FTP.

The results are anecdotal, but previous testing also found performance problems with 8.3 naming in file-heavy workloads.

Dell previously found major NTFS slowdowns when working with millions of files while 8.3 naming was enabled.

Windows includes tools for managing 8.3 names

Windows 11 still supports the feature, and users can check the current setting with:

fsutil 8dot3name query C:

The fsutil 8dot3name command can also change 8.3 settings, scan for dependencies, and remove existing short names.

Removing existing short names can cause problems

Microsoft warns that removing existing 8.3 aliases can break older software or cause uninstall problems if applications or registry entries still depend on them.

Users should back up affected folders or volumes before removing existing short names.

Disabling new 8.3 name creation may help in some file-heavy workloads, but it is not a universal Windows 11 performance tweak.

In other news, Microsoft is deprecating Windows Deployment Services and a Copilot+ PC branding report claims Microsoft is dropping the name.

Via Neowin