---
title: "Supported Characters"
slug: "supported-characters"
updated: 2026-10-15T10:51:17Z
published: 2026-10-15T10:51:17Z
canonical: "help.ipv.com/supported-characters"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.ipv.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Supported Characters

To ensure that Curator applications can handle and process valid file and directory names across different file systems, IPV recommends following [Microsoft Windows file naming conventions](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/naming-a-file). These guidelines are as follows:

1. **File Name Structure:**
  - Use a period to separate the base file name from its extension (e.g., `filename.txt`).
  - Use a backslash (`\`) to separate components of a path. The backslash divides file names from their path and separates directory names within a path. Do not use a backslash within a file or directory name, as it is reserved for path separation.
2. **Volume Naming:**
  - Use a backslash in volume names, such as "C:\" for local drives, or "\\server\share" for UNC paths. This character is required for distinguishing volumes and network paths.
3. **Case Sensitivity:**
  - File and directory names should not be assumed to be case-sensitive. Treat names like "OSCAR," "Oscar," and "oscar" as identical, even if some file systems might differentiate them. Note that NTFS supports case sensitivity in a POSIX-compliant environment, but this is not the default behaviour.
4. **Character Restrictions:**
  - Avoid using the following reserved characters in file or directory names: `< > : " / \ | ? * # $ @` and any character with an integer value from 0 through 31. This includes the ASCII NUL (integer value zero). These characters are reserved and can cause errors.
  - For alternate data streams, certain characters in the range from 1 through 31 are allowed.
5. **Special Path Components:**
  - Use a single period (.) to represent the current directory (e.g., `.\temp.txt`).
  - Use two consecutive periods (..) to refer to the parent directory (e.g., `..\temp.txt`).
6. **Reserved Names:**
  - Do not use reserved names for files or directories, such as `CON`, `PRN`, `AUX`, `NUL`, or `COM1` through `COM9`, and `LPT1` through `LPT9`. These names are reserved by the system and should be avoided. Additionally, avoid using these names immediately followed by a file extension (e.g., `NUL.txt`).
7. **Trailing Characters:**
  - Do not end file or directory names with a space or period. Although some file systems may support these, the Windows shell and user interface do not handle them properly. However, starting a name with a period is acceptable (e.g., `.temp`).

For AWS, Azure and Generic S3 systems, also check the naming rules of the storage provider. Refer to their documentation: **Azure:** [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/storageservices/naming-and-referencing-containers--blobs--and-metadata](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/storageservices/naming-and-referencing-containers--blobs--and-metadata) **AWS:** [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-keys.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-keys.html) **Generic S3:** refer to the documentation of your S3-compatible storage provider.