General Copy Path of Drive, File, or Folder in Windows 11


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Copy_as_path_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to copy the full path of drives, files, and folders to paste where you like in Windows 11.

Copy path or Copy as path will copy the full path of selected items (files and folders) wrapped in quotes to the Clipboard so you can paste (Ctrl+V) the full path(s) of the item(s) where you like.

Copy address or Copy address as text will copy the full path of selected items (drives and folders) without quotes to the Clipboard so you can paste (Ctrl+V) the full path(s) of the item(s) where you like.


Contents

  • Option One: "Copy as path" using Keyboard Shortcut
  • Option Two: "Copy as path" from Context Menu
  • Option Three: "Copy path" from File Explorer Command Bar
  • Option Four: "Copy address" or "Copy address at text" from File Explorer Address Bar




Option One

"Copy as path" using Keyboard Shortcut


This option is only available starting with Windows 11 build 22463.


1 Select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to copy the full path of.

2 Press the Ctrl + Shift + C keys.




Option Two

"Copy as path" from Context Menu


1 Select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to copy the full path of.

2 Right click or press and hold on the selected items, and click/tap on Copy as path.

Copy_as_path_context_menu.png





Option Three

"Copy path" from File Explorer Command Bar


1 Open File Explorer (Win+E).

2 Select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to copy the full path of.

3 Click/tap on the See more (3 dots) button on the command bar.

4 Click/tap on Copy path.

Copy_path_File_Explorer_command_bar.png





Option Four

"Copy address" or "Copy address at text" from File Explorer Address Bar


1 Open File Explorer (Win+E).

2 Navigate to and open the drive or folder you want to copy the full path of.

3 Perform either action below:
  • Right click or press and hold on an empty area of the address bar, and click/tap on Copy address or Copy address as text.
Copy_address_File_Explorer-1.png

OR
  • Click/tap on an empty area of the address bar, and Copy (Ctrl+C) the full path.
Copy_address_File_Explorer-2.png
Copy_address_File_Explorer-3.png


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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" Copy path or Copy as path will copy the full path of selected items (files and folders) wrapped in quotes to the Clipboard so you can paste (Ctrl+V) the full path(s) of the item(s) where you like " sounds simple but when I try to "copy as path" the downloads directory, nothing happens and I cannot paste the directory and files where I want to. What am I doing wrong? I'm running Win 11, version 21H2, Build 22000.975
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptopy GPU
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo DisplayHDR and Acer H230
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD - Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ-000L2
    Case
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Standard built-in keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
" Copy path or Copy as path will copy the full path of selected items (files and folders) wrapped in quotes to the Clipboard so you can paste (Ctrl+V) the full path(s) of the item(s) where you like " sounds simple but when I try to "copy as path" the downloads directory, nothing happens and I cannot paste the directory and files where I want to. What am I doing wrong? I'm running Win 11, version 21H2, Build 22000.975

Hello Ed, :-)

Is this only happening in the Downloads directory, or all locations?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Thanks for your help, Shawn. It is happening for all locations. I appears that the "copy path" is not working. The reason I think that is because when I click "copy as path", there is no delay at all. The system gives me back control immediately. I would expect there to be a bit of a delay while it copies the path.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptopy GPU
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo DisplayHDR and Acer H230
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD - Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ-000L2
    Case
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Standard built-in keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
Thanks for your help, Shawn. It is happening for all locations. I appears that the "copy path" is not working. The reason I think that is because when I click "copy as path", there is no delay at all. The system gives me back control immediately. I would expect there to be a bit of a delay while it copies the path.
Usually, it shouldn't take any time at all to copy the path to the clipboard.

Do you have any software installed or running that could be messing with the clipboard?

As a test, are you able to copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) anything else (ex: text or files).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
One other thing I should say is that the Source is a folder on my SSD, the Dest is my 64GB USB thumb drive.
Copy / paste files works fine from my SSD to the thumb drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptopy GPU
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo DisplayHDR and Acer H230
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD - Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ-000L2
    Case
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Standard built-in keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
I don't think I have anything running that messes with the clipboard.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptopy GPU
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo DisplayHDR and Acer H230
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD - Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ-000L2
    Case
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Standard built-in keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
I don't think I have anything running that messes with the clipboard.
As a test, boot into Safe Mode to see if Copy Path works while in Safe mode.


If it does work while in Safe Mode, then something running while in normal mode is causing the issue. You could try performing a Clean Boot below to troubleshoot and see if the culprit may be found.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I'll do this tomorrow, and report here.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptopy GPU
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo DisplayHDR and Acer H230
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD - Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ-000L2
    Case
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Standard built-in keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes

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