Issue Types

Every issue CloudMove detects and what to do about each.

Issue Types

CloudMove's scanner flags eight distinct issue types. Some block migration entirely; others will attempt to migrate but may be rejected by SharePoint.

Path too long

SharePoint limits full file paths to around 400 characters. CloudMove flags files that, combined with the destination path, would exceed this.

Action: shorten the source path (rename parent folders), or restructure the destination to cut depth. This is by far the most common issue.

Blocks migration? No — but SharePoint will reject during upload, so it shows up as a migration error.

Invalid characters

SharePoint doesn't allow these in file or folder names: " * : < > ? / \ | plus some others. File names starting/ending with spaces or periods also qualify.

Action: rename the file at the source. Or accept the migration error and skip those files.

Blocks migration? No — but will error during upload.

File too large

SharePoint's per-file limit is 250 GB. Files above this can't be uploaded.

Action: split the file, remove it from scope, or use a different destination (like Azure Blob).

Blocks migration? Yes — flagged files are skipped entirely during migration.

Reserved name

SharePoint reserves certain file names: .lock, CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1COM9, LPT1LPT9, _vti_, desktop.ini, any name starting with ~$, etc.

Action: rename the file at the source.

Blocks migration? No — will error during upload.

Name too long

File or folder names exceeding 256 characters on their own (separate from the full path length check).

Action: rename at the source.

Blocks migration? No — will error during upload.

Invalid name start/end

Names starting or ending with spaces, periods, or other reserved characters.

Action: rename at the source.

Blocks migration? No — will error during upload.

Blocked extension

Extensions SharePoint refuses entirely: .exe, .dll, .bat, .cmd, plus others depending on tenant config.

Action: exclude the folder containing them, filter out these files at the source, or accept the skip.

Blocks migration? Yes — flagged files are skipped.

Large file (warning)

Files over 100 MB. Not a blocker — SharePoint handles them — but uploads will take longer and are more prone to transient failures.

Action: nothing required. Informational. You may want to double-check you really want to migrate very large media or archive files.

Blocks migration? No.

Handling issues at scale

For large migrations with many issues:

  1. Export the CSV from the scan results
  2. Share it with the client's IT team
  3. Have them rename/remove files at the source
  4. Rescan

CloudMove doesn't rename files automatically — we intentionally stay read-only on the source.