How to Find and Copy the Full Path of a File in Windows

There are times when you need to know the full path of a file or folder on your Windows computer. This can be useful when setting up software, writing scripts, or working in the command line. In this article, we will go over several simple methods to quickly find and copy the full path of a file or folder in Windows.

Method 1: Using Windows File Explorer

  1. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the file or folder you want the path of.
  2. Right-click on the file or folder and select “Copy as path” from the context menu.
  3. The path is now copied to your clipboard. You can paste it wherever needed (e.g., in a text document or command prompt) using Ctrl + V.

Note: This feature is available in Windows 10 and newer versions.

Method 2: Using the Address Bar in File Explorer

  1. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the desired file or folder.
  2. Click on the empty space in the address bar to display the full path of the current directory.
  3. Copy the path by pressing Ctrl + C or right-clicking and selecting “Copy”.
  4. If you need the file name as well, simply append it manually to the copied path.

Method 3: Using File Properties

  1. Right-click on the file and choose “Properties” from the context menu.
  2. In the properties window, go to the “General” tab.
  3. In the “Location” field, you will see the path to the folder containing the file. You can get the full path by adding the file name to this location.
  4. Select the path and press Ctrl + C to copy it.

Method 4: Using Command Prompt (cmd)

  1. Open the Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter).
  2. Navigate to the directory containing the file using the cd command.
  3. Type dir /b to list files in the current directory.
  4. To find the full path, use the command echo %cd%\filename, and it will display the complete file path.