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Why in Windows, can't you name a folder 'con'?
Whenever I try to name a folder as "con" (without the quotes) it defaults to its original name.
Why does it do this?
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CON is a reserved name, from the days of MS-DOS, when CON: was used to access the computer console. Other reserved names for DOS devices include AUX, NUL, COM1-COM9, PRN, LPT1-LPT9. For some reason, those names are still reserved in Windows. Was this reply helpful?
It is because you are not the owner of the file or you do not have the proper permission. However, if it is your file and you are unable to rename it by getting the aforementioned error message, you need to change the owner to your administrator account.
When a file or folder is still open, Windows doesn't allow users to rename it. Therefore, you must ensure that no files or folders are open and no apps are running in the background while you're renaming. To do that, simply click on the same file again to open it, and it will take you to the already opened tab.
Back in the MS-DOS days, "con" had a special meaning. It referred to the console, and allowed you to treat it like any other file. For example, you might create a new text file by typing copy con new.txt. Then you could enter your text and hit ^Z when finished.
The thing is, you can still do that. Therefore, as far as the file system is concerned there is already an object out there named con. There are other reserved names as well, but I see that while typing this those names have been provided already in other answers.
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