Quick answer: Error 0x800700DF appears when you copy a large file to or from a folder that Windows reaches over WebDAV, such as a SharePoint or OneDrive library mapped as a drive. Windows’ WebClient service refuses transfers above 50,000,000 bytes (about 50 MB) by default. Raise the FileSizeLimitInBytes value under ...\Services\WebClient\Parameters in the registry, entering the number as Decimal, then restart the WebClient service.
Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10. The full message reads Error 0x800700DF: The file size exceeds the limit allowed and cannot be saved. Copies to a normal file share or a local disk are not affected by this limit.
In this guide
Why the error appears
The code is Windows error 223, ERROR_FILE_TOO_LARGE, reported as an HRESULT. When a drive letter or network location points to a web address instead of an ordinary file server, Windows talks to it through the WebClient service (the WebDAV redirector). Microsoft documents a FileSizeLimitInBytes setting for that service with a default of 50,000,000 decimal. A single file larger than that is refused, so the copy stops with 0x800700DF even though the server itself might accept the file.
The limit is deliberate: Microsoft added it as a safeguard against denial-of-service attacks, where a server floods the PC with data. Raising it is reasonable for sites you trust, such as your company’s SharePoint.
Check that the drive uses WebDAV
Open Command Prompt and run net use. A WebDAV connection usually shows Web Client Network in the Network column, and its path often contains @SSL or DavWWWRoot. Drives mapped this way are covered in how to map a network drive. If the drive is an ordinary \\server\share path instead, this limit is not the cause.
Raise the WebClient file size limit
Registry changes affect the whole PC, so create a restore point or export the key first. You need an administrator account.
- Press Win + R, type
regeditand press Enter. - Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters. - Double-click FileSizeLimitInBytes. If it isn’t there, right-click the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it exactly that.
- Select Decimal under Base before you type the number. This is the step most people miss: typed in the default Hexadecimal mode, the same digits mean a different size.
- Enter a size in bytes larger than your biggest file, for example
1000000000for about 1 GB, or4294967295, the largest number the value can hold (about 4 GB). Microsoft documents the default but not a maximum; 4294967295 is simply the DWORD ceiling. - Click OK and close Registry Editor.
The same change from an elevated Command Prompt, in one line:
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters" /v FileSizeLimitInBytes /t REG_DWORD /d 4294967295 /freg add takes the /d number as decimal, so no conversion is needed.
Restart the WebClient service
The new value is read when the service starts. Restart the PC, or run these two commands in an elevated Command Prompt:
net stop webclient
net start webclientThen reconnect the drive (open it in File Explorer) and copy the file again. If net start webclient reports that the service is disabled, open services.msc, set WebClient to Manual and start it.
If it still fails
- The value didn’t take. Open it again and check that Decimal shows your number. If you typed it as hexadecimal, the size may be different from what you meant.
- The server has its own limit. SharePoint and IIS-based WebDAV servers set their own maximum upload size, which only the site’s administrator can change. If the copy fails above a fixed size no matter what you set locally, ask them.
- Use a different route. Upload large files through the browser, or let the OneDrive sync app handle the library instead of a mapped drive. The sync app doesn’t use WebClient, so this limit doesn’t apply. For problems with that setup, see how to stop or pause OneDrive syncing and the source and destination files are the same.
- The drive can’t be reached at all. That’s a different problem; error 0x80070035, network path not found covers it.
Not the same error: copying a file over 4 GB to a USB stick formatted as FAT32 gives a different message, The file is too large for the destination file system. That limit belongs to FAT32 itself; reformat the drive as exFAT or NTFS instead (see how to format a USB drive for the steps and the trade-offs).
Related guides
- How to map a network drive in Windows
- Error 0x80070035: the network path was not found
- How to stop OneDrive from syncing
- How to format a USB drive to FAT32
Official sources:
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