What characters are forbidden in Windows and Linux directory names?

Question

I know that / is illegal in Linux, and the following are illegal in Windows (I think) * . \" / \\ [

Answer 1

The easy way to get Windows to tell you the answer is to attempt to rename a file via Explorer and type in / for the new name. Windows will popup a message box telling you the list of illegal characters.

A filename cannot contain any of the following characters:
    \ / : * ? " < > | 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/177506