It’s not often but there will be situations where you need to copy the file path or folder path in your computer. For example, maybe you are executing a command to convert a video from TS to MP4 format and need the target file’s exact path, trying to back up your files to a specific folder and need to enter its path in the backup program, etc.
Whatever the reason, on Windows, you have two easy ways to copy the path of any file or folder. In this quick and easy tutorial, I will show these methods to get any file path and folder path on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Let’s get started.
Use the “Copy as path” Option to Copy File or Folder Path
- Use “Windows key + E” to open File Explorer.
- Find and right-click the file or folder.
- Select the “Copy as path” option.
- With that, the file path or folder path is copied to your clipboard.
- You can paste the path anywhere you want by pressing “Ctrl + V“.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
The first thing you should do is open the File Explorer. To do that, either click the File Explorer icon on the taskbar or press the “Windows key + E” shortcut.
Once the File Explorer window opens, find the file or folder for which you want to copy the path. Next, right-click the file or folder and select the “Copy as path” option. If you want an even faster way, simply select the file or folder and press the “Ctrl + Shift + C” shortcut.
Doing either of the above two suggested actions, the file or folder path is copied to the clipboard. You can paste it anywhere you want by pressing the “Ctrl + V” shortcut.
Copy File or Folder Path Using File Explorer Address Bar
As an alternative, you can also use the File Explorer’s address bar to copy the file path. This method is a bit clunky but very helpful to copy long file paths in Windows. Here’s how.
- Open the File Explorer window.
- Find the file or folder.
- Click the address bar and copy the path by pressing “Ctrl + C“.
- Paste the path in Notepad by pressing “Ctrl + V”.
- Next, select the file and press “F2“.
- Press “Ctrl + A” to select the entire file name including the extensions.
- Press “Ctrl + C” to copy the file name.
- In the Notepad, add “\” at the end of the path and press “Ctrl + V” to paste the file name.
- With that, you’ve copied the full file/folder path.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, click the “File Explorer” icon on the taskbar. Next, find the file or folder and click the address bar to display the current folder path.
Now, copy the selected path by pressing the “Ctrl + C“. If the folder path is all you want, you are done. Simply paste the path wherever you need.
However, if you want a file path, you need to follow a couple of more steps. Open the Notepad application by searching for it in the Start menu and paste the copied path by pressing the “Ctrl + V” shortcut.
Next, select the file for which you want to copy the path and press “F2“. To select the entire file name including the file extension, press “Ctrl + A“.
After that, press “Ctrl + C” to copy the file name.
Go to the Notepad, add “\” at the end of the folder path, and then press the “Ctrl + V” shortcut. This action pastes the file name after the folder path completing the entire file path.
That’s it. With that, you have the entire file path. If you want, select the entire file path and press “Ctrl + C” to copy it to your clipboard.
Wrapping Up — Copying File and Folder Path in Windows
By following either of the methods you can copy the file path or folder in Windows quite easily. In most cases, all you need is the first method. However, if that doesn’t work or you need to copy a really long file path then follow the second method (especially in Windows 10). Whichever method you follow, the result is the same.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
