Which characters should be avoided in file names for compatibility across systems?

Which characters should be avoided in file names for compatibility across systems?

• A. Leading/trailing spaces only.
• B. \\ / : * ? \" < > | and leading/trailing spaces.
• C. Only the slash / and colon :.
• D. There are no restricted characters.

Answer: (B)

When naming files, avoid characters that different systems treat as special or illegal. The set that causes the most cross-platform issues includes backslash, forward slash, colon, asterisk, question mark, double quote, less-than, greater-than, and vertical bar. These are used as path separators or wildcards in various environments, so including any of them in a file name can break file access, scripting, or transfers between systems. Adding to that, leading or trailing spaces are often rejected or trimmed by file systems, which leads to inconsistencies. By staying away from all of these characters, you maximize compatibility across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

When naming files, avoid characters that different systems treat as special or illegal. The set that causes the most cross-platform issues includes backslash, forward slash, colon, asterisk, question mark, double quote, less-than, greater-than, and vertical bar. These are used as path separators or wildcards in various environments, so including any of them in a file name can break file access, scripting, or transfers between systems. Adding to that, leading or trailing spaces are often rejected or trimmed by file systems, which leads to inconsistencies. By staying away from all of these characters, you maximize compatibility across Windows, macOS, and Linux.