diff --git a/backend/drive/drive.go b/backend/drive/drive.go
index 93fab7f8d..7bd0c41e5 100644
--- a/backend/drive/drive.go
+++ b/backend/drive/drive.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"path"
-	"regexp"
 	"sort"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -3431,13 +3430,12 @@ func (f *Fs) Command(ctx context.Context, name string, arg []string, opt map[str
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		re := regexp.MustCompile(`[^\w\p{L}\p{N}. -]+`)
 		if _, ok := opt["config"]; ok {
 			lines := []string{}
 			upstreams := []string{}
 			names := make(map[string]struct{}, len(drives))
 			for i, drive := range drives {
-				name := re.ReplaceAllString(drive.Name, "_")
+				name := fspath.MakeConfigName(drive.Name)
 				for {
 					if _, found := names[name]; !found {
 						break
diff --git a/fs/fspath/path.go b/fs/fspath/path.go
index 2c9c42b00..5a6775207 100644
--- a/fs/fspath/path.go
+++ b/fs/fspath/path.go
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	configNameRe = `[\w\p{L}\p{N}.]+(?:[ -]+[\w\p{L}\p{N}.-]+)*` // don't allow it to start with `-` as it complicates usage (#4261)
+	configNameRe              = `[\w\p{L}\p{N}.]+(?:[ -]+[\w\p{L}\p{N}.-]+)*` // May contain Unicode numbers and letters, as well as `_`, `-`, `.` and space, but not start with `-` (it complicates usage, see #4261) or space, and not end with space
+	illegalPartOfConfigNameRe = `^[ -]+|[^\w\p{L}\p{N}. -]+|[ ]+$`
 )
 
 var (
@@ -32,6 +33,9 @@ var (
 	// configNameMatcher is a pattern to match an rclone config name
 	configNameMatcher = regexp.MustCompile(`^` + configNameRe + `$`)
 
+	// illegalPartOfConfigNameMatcher is a pattern to match a sequence of characters not allowed in an rclone config name
+	illegalPartOfConfigNameMatcher = regexp.MustCompile(illegalPartOfConfigNameRe)
+
 	// remoteNameMatcher is a pattern to match an rclone remote name at the start of a config
 	remoteNameMatcher = regexp.MustCompile(`^:?` + configNameRe + `(?::$|,)`)
 )
@@ -44,6 +48,21 @@ func CheckConfigName(configName string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// MakeConfigName makes an input into something legal to be used as a config name.
+// Returns a string where any sequences of illegal characters are replaced with
+// a single underscore. If the input is already valid as a config name, it is
+// returned unchanged. If the input is an empty string, a single underscore is
+// returned.
+func MakeConfigName(name string) string {
+	if name == "" {
+		return "_"
+	}
+	if configNameMatcher.MatchString(name) {
+		return name
+	}
+	return illegalPartOfConfigNameMatcher.ReplaceAllString(name, "_")
+}
+
 // checkRemoteName returns an error if remoteName is invalid
 func checkRemoteName(remoteName string) error {
 	if remoteName == ":" || remoteName == "::" {
diff --git a/fs/fspath/path_test.go b/fs/fspath/path_test.go
index ad58ef399..d1828c102 100644
--- a/fs/fspath/path_test.go
+++ b/fs/fspath/path_test.go
@@ -19,34 +19,38 @@ var (
 
 func TestCheckConfigName(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range []struct {
-		in   string
-		want error
+		in      string
+		problem error
+		fixed   string
 	}{
-		{"remote", nil},
-		{"REMOTE", nil},
-		{"", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{":remote:", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"remote:", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"rem:ote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"rem/ote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"rem\\ote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"[remote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"*", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"-remote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{"r-emote-", nil},
-		{"_rem_ote_", nil},
-		{".", nil},
-		{"..", nil},
-		{".r.e.m.o.t.e.", nil},
-		{"rem ote", nil},
-		{"blåbær", nil},
-		{"chữ Quốc ngữ", nil},
-		{"remote ", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{" remote", errInvalidCharacters},
-		{" remote ", errInvalidCharacters},
+		{"remote", nil, "remote"},
+		{"REMOTE", nil, "REMOTE"},
+		{"", errInvalidCharacters, "_"},
+		{":remote:", errInvalidCharacters, "_remote_"},
+		{"remote:", errInvalidCharacters, "remote_"},
+		{"rem:ote", errInvalidCharacters, "rem_ote"},
+		{"rem/ote", errInvalidCharacters, "rem_ote"},
+		{"rem\\ote", errInvalidCharacters, "rem_ote"},
+		{"[remote", errInvalidCharacters, "_remote"},
+		{"*", errInvalidCharacters, "_"},
+		{"-remote", errInvalidCharacters, "_remote"},
+		{"r-emote-", nil, "r-emote-"},
+		{"---rem:::ote???", errInvalidCharacters, "_rem_ote_"},
+		{"_rem_ote_", nil, "_rem_ote_"},
+		{".", nil, "."},
+		{"..", nil, ".."},
+		{".r.e.m.o.t.e.", nil, ".r.e.m.o.t.e."},
+		{"rem ote", nil, "rem ote"},
+		{"blåbær", nil, "blåbær"},
+		{"chữ Quốc ngữ", nil, "chữ Quốc ngữ"},
+		{"remote ", errInvalidCharacters, "remote_"},
+		{" remote", errInvalidCharacters, "_remote"},
+		{" remote ", errInvalidCharacters, "_remote_"},
 	} {
-		got := CheckConfigName(test.in)
-		assert.Equal(t, test.want, got, test.in)
+		problem := CheckConfigName(test.in)
+		assert.Equal(t, test.problem, problem, test.in)
+		fixed := MakeConfigName(test.in)
+		assert.Equal(t, test.fixed, fixed, test.in)
 	}
 }