Show DOS Name

Show DOS Name is a small tool mostly designed for programmers who need to use the short 8.3 filename of a file or a folder in modern Windows systems. In other words, it enables its users to easily copy the short name of a file to the clipboard.

Set it up by adding a file to registry

The package it is archived in is very lightweight, so it leaves a small footprint on the host system.

Note that the installation process requires tampering with the Windows registry to add a new item to the system's context menu. To do so, administrative privileges are required. To be more specific, to make it work, you have to copy the content of the archive to the System32 folder (the PATH environment variable of your PC) and add dosname.reg to the registry.  Once this operation is complete, you will notice that a new item (suggestively called 'Show DOS Name') is displayed in the context menu of any file or folder in Windows.

Copy the 8.3 filename to the clipboard

Selecting the 'Show DOS Name' option generates the 8.3 filename of that particular file or directory and automatically copies it to the clipboard, without requiring additional intervention on your side. You can paste the short filename anywhere you want to, including in a browser, an IDE or a text editor.

This new context menu command comes in handy especially to programmers, who often need to point to long file paths or work with legacy programs.

Use the 8.3 filename as a shorter file path

The 8.3 filename can be used as an alternative to long file paths in Windows, using a naming convention that was implemented a long time ago, in the long gone era of Windows editions prior to Windows 95 and NT 3.51.

Show DOS Name makes it possible for programmers to transform a long file path to a shorter one, copying the 8.3 filename of a file or a folder to the clipboard in an instant.