Which of the following characters is NOT allowed in a filename when renaming in Windows?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

RRB NTPC Graduate Level CBT-I Official Paper (Held On: 06 Jun, 2025 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is ? (question mark).

Key Points

The question mark (?) is one of the characters prohibited in filenames in Windows operating systems.
Other restricted characters include \ / : * ? " < > |, as these are reserved for system functions or file path navigation.
Windows uses these special characters to perform certain operations, such as separating directories (/) or indicating a wildcard (*).
If you attempt to include a restricted character while renaming a file, Windows will display an error message preventing the action.
These restrictions are enforced to ensure compatibility and avoid conflicts within the file system.

Additional Information

Filename Restrictions in Windows:
- Windows filenames cannot exceed 255 characters, including the file path.
- Filenames cannot end with a period (.) or a space ( ).
- Reserved names like CON, AUX, NUL, COM1 to COM9, and LPT1 to LPT9 are also prohibited.
Wildcard Characters:
- Wildcards like * and ? are used to represent multiple or single characters in searches.
- Including these in filenames can interfere with file search or system commands.
File Path Syntax:
- Windows uses \ as a directory separator, distinguishing file paths.
- Other characters like : are reserved for drives (e.g., C:\).
Cross-Platform Compatibility:
- Some characters allowed in other operating systems (e.g., Linux) may still be prohibited in Windows.
- Developers often avoid restricted characters to ensure portability across platforms.