# MS Windows - copying location of files **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212 "2006-10-20T12:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/1 "2006-10-20T12:38:44Z")
If I have an explorer window open, is there a way to copy a file’s location, including the file name? If I have a file, text.doc, that is in, say, G:\Folder\Folder2\SDMB, I can navigate to the folder and copy the url from the address bar in explorer, but that address doesn’t include the filename itself. Is there an easy way to get the full path itself, including the file? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/2 "2006-10-20T13:19:17Z")
Not very elegantly. Right click on the file, select “Create Shortcut”. Right click on new shortcut, select “Properties”. Copy target. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/3 "2006-10-20T13:27:45Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Not very elegantly. Right click on the file, select “Create Shortcut”. Right click on new shortcut, select “Properties”. Copy target. [/QUOTE] _sigh_ … guess I’ll just continue to paste the path and type the filenames. Thanks though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/4 "2006-10-20T14:17:24Z")
Right-click on the file and select Rename. That will highlight the filename. Click on Edit, Copy, or click Ctrl-C to copy the filename to the Clipboard. The address bar should display the path, except for the filename. Add \ to the end of the path and paste the filename there. Yes, it’s awkward, but it works if you just need the exact name and location of one or two files. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/5 "2006-10-20T16:47:28Z")
Drag the file into a cmd window. Enable Quickedit in the cmd window (permamently), and you will be able to copy the full pathname with just a highlight and right-click. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/6 "2006-10-20T17:20:50Z")
[QUOTE=arseNal] Drag the file into a cmd window. Enable Quickedit in the cmd window (permamently), and you will be able to copy the full pathname with just a highlight and right-click. [/QUOTE] This appears it will only work if the pathname + c:\ prompt total less than 80 characters, unless you also increase the values on the Layout tab for Screen Buffer Size and Windows size. If the line wraps, you can only highlight what is on one line. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/7 "2006-10-20T17:51:33Z")
[QUOTE=arseNal] Drag the file into a cmd window. Enable Quickedit in the cmd window (permamently), and you will be able to copy the full pathname with just a highlight and right-click. [/QUOTE] You could also use this method with the Run dialog (WinKey+R) rather than a cmd window. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/8 "2006-10-20T18:00:58Z")
[QUOTE=Hunter Hawk] You could also use this method with the Run dialog (WinKey+R) rather than a cmd window. [/QUOTE] Oh, nice. Didn’t know that. Smaller target, but easier to copy & paste from, as per **Fear’s** point. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/9 "2006-10-20T18:16:35Z")
When I right-click on a file the context menu includes “Copy Full Path”. I don’t know what software added this. Probably some development tool. Here is a link to free software that adds a “Copy Path to Clipboard” item to context menus: [http://stefan.bertels.org/en/clipboardpath](http://stefan.bertels.org/en/clipboardpath) ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/10 "2006-10-20T23:35:38Z")
Microsoft had a “Send To X” plugin in the Windows 95 Powertoys that does this, called “Send name to clipboard”. It’s one of the first things I install on a new computer. I don’t know if it’s in the Windows XP Powertoys, but the Windows 95 version works in **all** versions since Windows 95. Google for it, or go to [www.microsoft.com](http://www.microsoft.com/) and search for it there. Today, [this link works](http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/WUToys/W95PwrToysSet/Default.asp). Get it while you can, because MS changes their URLS on a semi-random basis. Oh, and TweakUI rocks too, but if you run Windows XP, I believe the Win XP version of TweakUI is even better. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/11 "2006-10-21T18:47:31Z")
In Vista, explorer has a “copy path to clipboard” option built in. Totally worth the upgrade… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-windows-copying-location-of-files/377212/12 "2006-10-21T19:11:27Z")
The tool I have used for years is Ninotech Path Copy. It provides many configuration options such as “Copy UNC path”, “Copy long path”, “Copy short path”, and “Copy filename”. It will copy the paths/filenames of multiple files at once if desired.