The Windows 10 file explorer is undoubtedly the tool most used every day by any user of the Microsoft system. And it is that from the explorer it is possible to browse all the folders and files stored on our disk easily and comfortably. However, if you are a Windows 10 user, surely you have noticed how in the address bar of the explorer, although the name of the folders through which we are entering is shown, the exact path of each folder is not shown by default or archive. If you want to know how to see the full path of a folder or file in Windows 10 file explorer, below we show all the ways to do it and the steps to follow.
Therefore, when we open a folder on our hard drive from Windows 10 explorer, what we see in the location or address bar of the explorer we will see the path through which we have navigated to that folder, but not the exact path of the same.
A change that Microsoft introduced with the aim of making browsing between the folders on our disk more intuitive and making it easier to remember an exact location. However, when what we need is to know the exact route, we cannot see it with the naked eye.
Options offered by Windows 10 itself
The truth is that Microsoft’s own operating system offers a way to see the path of a folder or file from Windows 10 explorer itself. To do this, all we have to do is:
- Go to the path and click on the address bar of the browser
- Right-click on the folder or file and access its Properties.
- Use the Copy as path option .
Therefore, although the file explorer does not show us the exact path of a folder or file in the address bar, we can easily see it if we click on it once we have navigated to the path in question.
At first we will be able to see a path that begins with This Equipment and will continue indicating the letter of the drive through which we have started browsing, followed by the name of the folders through which we have been entering. However, when we click on the address bar or the path of the explorer, we will see how the full path of a folder is automatically shown to us. Therefore, now we can see it or even copy it to use it in any other tool.
But in addition, it is also possible to see the exact path of a file or folder if we access its properties . That is, the first thing we have to do is open the explorer, navigate to the folder in question and once there, we click on said folder or file with the right mouse button and select the Properties option from the context menu.
This will open a window in which, within the General tab, we will find the location field. That’s where the full path of that folder or file will appear in Windows 10.
The other option offered by Microsoft’s own operating system from the Windows 10 file explorer to be able to see the exact and complete path of a file and folder is to use the Copy as path option . It is an option included in the contextual menu of the system, specifically in the extended version. That is, to be able to see this option in the contextual menu we must keep the shift key pressed while we click with the right mouse button on the file or folder of which we want to know the exact path.
Therefore, what we have to do is open the file explorer, go to the path of the file or folder in question and when we have located it, we click on it with the right mouse button while holding down the shift key of our keyboard. Now, among the contextual menu options, we will find the Copy as path option . By selecting this option, the full path of that file or folder will automatically be copied to the clipboard and we can paste it into the address bar of the explorer or a document to be able to view it.
View the path of a folder or file with Classic Shell
But if what we want is to see the exact path of a file or folder directly from the address bar of the explorer without having to go around clicking on it or accessing its properties, then we have to use a tool like Classic Shell .
A tool that has been designed to customize and enable certain options in Windows 10 such as creating a customizable taskbar, enabling certain keyboard shortcuts, seeing the free and total occupied space of our disk from the taskbar or allowing us to see the complete path from a folder or file in Windows 10 explorer. To do this, the first thing we have to do is download and install Classic Shell on our PC, something we can do from the previous link.
When we execute the file that is downloaded, the Classic Shell installation wizard will open, where the first thing we have to do is accept the use and terms of this software. Next, we need to make sure we select the Classic Explorer installation. The rest of the options can be deactivated if we are not going to use them.
Click on Next and then on Install, for this we will have to have administrator permissions, and we will see how the installation process begins automatically. Once the process is finished, we open the application and in the configuration window we must check the Disable breadcrumbs box and Accept the changes so that they are saved.
Now, if we open a Windows 10 file explorer window and navigate through any path, we will see how in the address bar we can directly see the full path of a folder or file without further ado, since it will be what is displayed by default.
