The maximum extended path length supported by NTFS in Windows is 32,767 characters.
That figure applies to extended-length paths handled through the appropriate Unicode Windows APIs, commonly using the \\?\ path prefix. Each individual file or directory name is still limited to about 255 characters, so the total is reached through many nested path components rather than one extraordinarily long filename.
A frequent source of confusion is the traditional MAX_PATH limit of 260 characters. That is primarily a Win32 API and application-compatibility limit, not the underlying NTFS path limit. Older software, command-line tools, and parts of the Windows shell may still reject paths longer than 260 characters.
Long-path support also depends on the operating system configuration and whether the application is long-path aware. Windows 10 version 1607 and later can remove MAX_PATH restrictions for many Unicode APIs when the relevant policy or registry setting is enabled. Therefore, 32,767 is the correct filesystem-level answer, while 260 describes the familiar legacy Windows application limit. The values 4,096 and 255 refer to limits associated with other layers or individual components, not the full NTFS path.