How to copy a file path on Windows and Mac

A file path is the full address of a file, the list of folders you pass through to reach it. On Windows it looks like C:\Users\Sam\Documents\March bill.pdf. On a Mac it looks like /Users/sam/Documents/March bill.pdf.

People ask for it when they want to point a coworker, a support person or a form to a file. You can copy a file path in a couple of clicks once you know where to look.

How to copy a file path on Windows

Method 1: Copy as path

This works in File Explorer on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. It copies the whole path, ready to paste.

1. Open File Explorer and go to the file or folder.
2. Click it once to select it.
3. On Windows 10, hold Shift and right-click the file. On Windows 11, right-click it, and if you do not see the option, choose Show more options.
4. Choose Copy as path.
5. Click where you want the path and press Ctrl + V.

The shortcut for the same job is Ctrl + Shift + C with the file selected. It skips the menu completely.

You can also select several files at once, then use Copy as path. You get one path per line.

Method 2: Copy it from the address bar

This one gives you the folder the file is in, without the file name.

1. Open the folder in File Explorer.
2. Click an empty spot in the address bar at the top. The path turns into plain text.
3. Press Ctrl + C to copy it.

If you want the file name too, paste the folder path first, then type a backslash and the file name.

How to copy a file path on a Mac

Method 1: Copy as Pathname

Apple hides this option behind a key. The menu looks normal until you hold Option.

1. Open a Finder window and find the file or folder.
2. Right-click it, or hold Control and click it.
3. Now press and hold Option. The menu item Copy changes to Copy "name" as Pathname.
4. Click it, then paste with Command + V.

The path you paste starts with a slash and lists every folder on the way, for example /Users/sam/Documents/March bill.pdf.

Method 2: Use the path bar

The path bar shows where a file is at the bottom of the Finder window. It also lets you copy a folder's location.

1. In Finder, choose View › Show Path Bar.
2. Click a file. Its folders appear along the bottom of the window.
3. Right-click a folder in that bar, or Control-click it, hold Option, and choose Copy "folder" as Pathname.

Method 3: Get Info

1. Click the file and press Command + I.
2. Look at the Where line. It shows the folder the file is in.

This shows the folder, not the file name, so it is best when you only need to say where something is, for example by reading it out to the person who asked.

Which method should you use?

• You need the exact file path to paste: Copy as path on Windows, Copy as Pathname on Mac.
• You only need the folder: the address bar on Windows, the path bar or Get Info on Mac.
• You want to share the file itself: a path is only an address, and it will not open for someone else. A person on another computer cannot follow C:\Users\Sam\..., so attach the file to your message instead.

If you cannot find the file in the first place, these guides may help: how to find a file when you only remember part of its name and how to find a file by what is inside it.

Ask Key where a file is

Sometimes the real problem is not copying the path. It is that you do not know where the file went. Key is a free assistant for Windows and Mac. You can speak or type to it, and it finds your files, opens the real window, and tells you what it did.

It finds files by what is inside them, not just the name, and it reads the document to be sure it has the right one. If two files match, it asks which one you meant. So you can ask in half a sentence, the way you would ask a friend.

KeyChat

Where did that download go?

opened the Downloads folderfound the newest fileread its folder location

Your download is in the Downloads folder, and it is called March bill.pdf.

Checked: the file is in Downloads and opens as the March bill.

Key checks the result before it reports back. You can switch between the microphone and the chat whenever you like, and you can stop it at any point while it works.

Once you know the folder, use the steps above to copy the exact path to paste.

A few small tips

• Paste the path into a text note first to check it looks right before you send it.
• Paths with spaces are fine. Copy as path and Copy as Pathname handle them for you.
• Copying a path does not move or change the file. It only copies the address, so you cannot hurt anything by trying.
• Not sure where your downloads land? Read where is my Downloads folder.

Once you have done it twice, copying a file path takes about five seconds.