How to Create Folders With a Leading Dot on Windows Server

If you try to create a folder with a leading dot, like the .well-known folder for domain validation or the security.txt, you may end up with the error "You must type a file name" on Windows Server:

The file explorer throws an error when you try to create a .well-known folder.

If this happens, do not despair. There is a little trick you can use to create such a folder in Windows Explorer (the file manager): add a dot at the end.

Instead of creating a folder named .well-known you type .well-known. :

Create a folder with the a . at the end

Windows Explorer will magically remove the ending dot and creates the folder with the name we want:

In the file explorer you can now find you .well-known folder (without a dot at the end).

This little trick works with a wide range of Windows operating systems and goes way back.