This issue affects Windows users only.
If you find file names are truncated with a tilde "~", e.g. "My_seque~.dna", or if SnapGene fails to save files in deeply nested folders, then you have likely encountered a Windows-specific file path length limitation.
By default, Windows 11 restricts file paths to a maximum of 260 characters (MAX_PATH) to ensure backward compatibility with Win32 applications.
Files will fail to save, or file names may be truncated when the path limit is exceeded.
To fix this issue you have two options:
- Consult Microsoft documentation for instruction on how enable long paths in Windows 11. See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/maximum-file-path-limitation?
- Shorten folder names to reduce the path length, and/or move the folder containing your files to a higher folder before working with and saving the file.