How Much Content Do You Want To Migrate To Box?

 Recommended Migration Methods Based on the Number of Files

• Drag and Drop: 1-100 files at a time
• Upload Folders: 1-500 files at a time
• Sync 4: Up to 100,000 files maximum
• Passive FTP: Batch up to 150,000 files at one time
• API: Batch up to 50,000 files at one time
• Migration Services: Contact Box if you have more than 1,000,000 files
• Partner Migration Tools: Self Services Migrations with 100,000+ files, available in our App Gallery.

Rename Files and Folders

Once you determine what you plan to keep and work with in Box, you must prepare your content. Here are some things to consider when preparing your files for migration.

Note: These are recommendations to keep Box running at peak performance, not hard and fast product limits.

1. No single folder can contain more than 15,000 files. For the best performance, have at most 10,000 files in one folder.
2. Folder names shouldn't be longer than 100 characters.
3. File paths shouldn't be longer than 255 characters.
4. No two folders within the same parent can have the same name. For example, the “Magical Creatures” folder can have only one “Unicorn” folder.
5. File and folder names cannot have leading spaces. So “_narwhals” will need to be renamed to “narwhals.”
6. Certain characters are not allowed in Box file or folder names. You must first remove all special characters from names for content you wish to migrate.

backslash \
slash /
double quote "
less-than <
greater-than >
asterisk *

Here is a selectable list of characters you can copy and paste into a batch-renaming tool such as Better Rename:

\ / “ : < > | * ?

Figure 1: Rename content in batches using the Better Rename application.