All + Symbols Were Changed in File Explorer

[smann]

This was odd. I have Musicbee rename and sort the files automatically based on their name in the program. Today I started it up and had a lot of files pop up as missing. I noticed every file had a "+" in the name. +44 was renamed to 144 in File Explorer, and all albums or songs with a "+" symbol had them changed to a space in File Explorer. I was able to change them back, and they all match and work now, but anyone have any idea what might have happened? Version 3.6.9143.

[voodoopunk]

Hi smann,

One suggestion I would make, if you haven't already is to get rid of WMP, it can cause all sorts of issues.

[hiccup]

I'm sorry, and it's probably me, but I find this post confusing and difficult to understand what is going on exactly.

This was odd. I have Musicbee rename and sort the files automatically based on their name in the program.

Rename the files I understand. 'sort them' I don't.
I am assuming that with 'in the program' you mean the information that is present in the tags, and you have something setup in MusicBee to change the file names depending on tags?

Today I started it up and had a lot of files pop up as missing. I noticed every file had a "+" in the name.

Do you mean they suddenly had a '+' in the filenames?
How did you ascertain that?

+44 was renamed to 144 in File Explorer, and all albums or songs with a "+" symbol had them changed to a space in File Explorer.

So (contrary to the previous statement) the filenames did not contain a '+' according to File Explorer?

I probably need either some sleep, some coffee, or some screenshots.

[Pickles7853]

The post is rambling a bit.  I can translate =)

Today I started it up and had a lot of files pop up as missing. I noticed every file had a "+" in the name.

He noticed that the files which were missing were the ones he knew had a "+" in the name.

+44 was renamed to 144 in File Explorer, and all albums or songs with a "+" symbol had them changed to a space in File Explorer.

The one file, previously named "+44" was now "144".  All the other files names, which used to have a + in them, now had a space where the +'s used to be.

Note: I am staying out the general discussion on this one as I could not think of a cause...

[hiccup]

He noticed that the files which were missing were the ones he knew had a "+" in the name.

More coffee/sleep/specifics/screenshots please.
What is 'name'?
Some tag, a file name, a pet, what?

[Pickles7853]

had them changed to a space in File Explorer

Me thinks you need more caffeine 
Since this was in File Explorer it would be file name.

[phred]

If file explorer is changing the names of the files, the issue is not MB, but file explorer. Or the user.

[Pickles7853]

That isn't the way I am reading his post.
Especially since he stated MusicBee changed the names.

I have Musicbee rename and sort the files automatically based on their name in the program

So he would have used File Explorer to change them back.  At least this is what I am getting out it.
I do not think his question is vague enough to blame it on Explorer...

...was renamed to 144 in File Explorer...had them changed to a space in File Explorer

And this would be him viewing the files in Explorer... and eventually changing them back to normal.

[smann]

I have auto-organize set, which is what I meant by rename and sort them. If I rename a track in Musicbee from "Track 1" to "Track One", then it automatically renames it to "Track One.[ext]" for the actual filename, and if I change the band's name then it will change that automatically and put the file in that folder. I didn't do anything to the actual filenames in File Explorer prior to this happening. Every single track with a "+" in the track name all of the sudden had it changed in some way for the actual filename, most by changing the + to a single space, but +44 was renamed to 144. The track names were still correct in Musicbee, but since the actual filenames were changed it couldn't match. Renaming all the files in File Explorer fixed it, but Musicbee is the only program I use, and I feel like the auto-organize option might have been the cause of this since my music files were the only ones affected by this, but no idea why, how, or what caused it. Other files that aren't used by Musicbee with + symbols in them were unaffected.

For some examples, I have my laptop daily backup to my server. It is setup to backup any new files, but not delete old files. This is what it's showing, so apparently the problem happened on March 6, 2025 as the changed files showed up in the backup the next morning, and it appears it all happened at the same time...

+44 was changed to 144...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16i_oeMRMA6HSUxmXa9TvaDKcZvVwwVAh/view?usp=sharing

Song and Album names had + changed to a single space...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DEFEr0Hp5vJ6RNyXpfK6JnU6BRSRr9qI/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X2QskV_TR9MvUT8SR3swsr4SMrmuxz2S/view?usp=drive_link

Not sure why they aren't showing up as images, but changed to links and they should work.

[phred]

Not sure why they aren't showing up as images, but changed to links and they should work.

Please use a different hosting service for you screenshots/images as I (and others) refuse to log in to Google. Try something like imgur.com

[smann]

Please use a different hosting service for you screenshots/images as I (and others) refuse to log in to Google. Try something like imgur.com

Sorry, forgot to actually allow access. Now the links are public and work without logging in.

[voodoopunk]

This must be user induced, perhaps with the additional tagging plug.

As I also own Symptoms + Cures by Comeback Kid and there's no problems with it here, in MusicBee or Windows Explorer.

[smann]

This must be user induced, perhaps with the additional tagging plug.

As I also own Symptoms + Cures by Comeback Kid and there's no problems with it here, in MusicBee or Windows Explorer.

Not sure how it can be user induced. I haven't interacted with Musicbee or the music folder on my laptop since I last added an album on February 1 (well except yesterday when I was adding a new album, but the problem showed up before that). I stream the music from my phone but only use the desktop app when adding music and then syncing right after, which is showing as February 1 as well for those files loading on my phone. The only + symbols that were changed were in the music library, nowhere else on my laptop were those symbols changed. And I've never actually used additional tagging, but now that I look at it, it would have been helpful in the past with some things lol. I was able to quickly fix it, and I know what to look for in the future if it happens again, it's just really weird that it was only the music library and all on the same date with no interaction from me, that's all.

[phred]

Do you use the Send To option to move/copy files to your library? If so, please post a screenshot of the naming template you're using.

[smann]

Do you use the Send To option to move/copy files to your library? If so, please post a screenshot of the naming template you're using.

I just Ctrl+A and then drag the files onto the app screen to add.

Naming template: <Album Artist>\<Album>\$If($Contains(<Sort Set Subtitle>,Version),<Set Subtitle>\<Disc-Track#>" "<Title>," "<Disc-Track#>" "<Title>)

The Sort Set Subtitle and Set Subtitle are custom tags I use for splitting out multiple versions of an album.