Key Facts
- Category
- Text Processing
- Input Types
- text, checkbox, number
- Output Type
- text
- Sample Coverage
- 4
- API Ready
- Yes
Overview
The Filename Sanitizer is a utility tool that cleans and sanitizes filenames by removing illegal characters for Windows, Linux, and Mac, ensuring compatibility and preventing file system errors across different operating systems.
When to Use
- •When you have filenames with special characters that are not allowed on certain operating systems, such as Windows or Linux.
- •When preparing files for cross-platform sharing or deployment to avoid compatibility issues.
- •When batch processing filenames to ensure they meet system requirements and prevent errors during file operations.
How It Works
- •Input the filename you want to sanitize into the tool's text field.
- •Optionally specify a replacement character for illegal characters, with underscore as the default.
- •Choose to trim leading/trailing whitespace and dots, and set a maximum filename length if needed.
- •The tool processes the input and outputs a sanitized filename with illegal characters replaced or removed.
Use Cases
Sanitizing filenames uploaded by users on a web application to ensure they are stored safely on the server.
Preparing filenames for use in automated scripts that run on multiple operating systems like Windows and Linux.
Cleaning up filenames in a directory to avoid errors when moving or copying files across different systems.
Examples
1. Cleaning User-Uploaded Filenames
Web Developer- Background
- A web application allows users to upload files, but some filenames contain illegal characters that cause issues on the server's file system.
- Problem
- Filenames with characters like : or * are not allowed on the server, leading to upload failures.
- How to Use
- Enter the problematic filename into the Filename Sanitizer, use default settings with underscore as the replacement character.
- Outcome
- The filename is cleaned, with illegal characters replaced by underscores, making it safe for storage and retrieval.
2. Preparing Files for Cross-Platform Deployment
- Background
- A software project needs to be deployed on both Windows and Linux servers, but filenames have OS-specific illegal characters.
- Problem
- Files with backslashes or colons in names fail on Linux systems, causing deployment errors.
- How to Use
- Use the tool to sanitize all filenames, setting a common replacement character and enabling trim options.
- Example Config
-
Set replacementChar to '-', trimWhitespace to true, trimDots to true, maxLength to 255. - Outcome
- All filenames are standardized and work seamlessly on both Windows and Linux, ensuring successful deployment.
Try with Samples
markdown, video, barcodeIllegal Filename Samples
Sample filenames with illegal characters, reserved names, and cross-platform issues for testing filename sanitization
title token filename
Regex Replace Samples
Collection of common and useful regex replacement patterns for text transformation and data cleaning
matched family markdown,video
Duplicate Line Samples
Sample files with various types of duplicate lines for testing duplicate removal tools
matched family video
Special Characters Samples
Sample text files with various special characters, punctuation, and symbols for testing non-alphanumeric character removal
matched family video
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FAQ
What illegal characters does this tool remove?
It removes characters like < > : " / \ | ? * and control characters for Windows, and / and null characters for Linux/Mac.
Can I customize the replacement character?
Yes, you can specify any character to replace illegal ones, with underscore as the default.
Does it handle whitespace trimming?
Yes, you can enable trimming of leading and trailing whitespace, which is on by default.
What is the maximum filename length supported?
The default maximum is 255 characters, but you can set it from 0 (no limit) to 260.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, the Filename Sanitizer is a free online tool for cleaning filenames.