Unable to export to HTML due to asterisk in page title

Platform Notice: Data Center Only - This article only applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.

Note that this KB was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center KBs for non-Data-Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.

*Except Fisheye and Crucible

Problem

The error is seen on the HTML export page itself, when it is processing to backup:

There was an error in the export. Please check your log files. :java.io.FileNotFoundException: C:\dev\confluence\confluence-2.7-std\home\temp\export_02152008_123348\TONY\ Tony *Plus V3.html (The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect)

Cause

The page title contains a symbolic character such as an asterisk ( * ).

Workaround

Rename the page title by removing the asterisk or symbolic character.

Resolution

Upgrade to Confluence 3.0 or later. This behavior was reported in CONFSERVER-10741 - Page title with asterisk symbol could not be exported to HTML Edit Add comment and was fixed in version 3.

Updated on May 22, 2025

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