The Express Route to Windows' File and Folder Paths

When you create a shortcut or perform some other operations in Windows, the OS will ask you to enter the complete path to a program, folder, or file. You may also need this information if you want to e-mail someone the path to a network file. You could click Explorer's Address bar to select the path, and then copy it to the clipboard, but you would still have to type the file name on the end of that path. Perhaps my favorite use for this information is when I need the path to a program file so that I can open it from a command-prompt window, along with particular "switches" or options that I type at the end of the path. Here are the fastest tracks to Windows' paths.

Add file paths to the Run box: In all Windows versions, to add a path to the Run box, click Start, Run, press Delete to remove the existing entry, and drag the file or folder from an Explorer window into the Run box.

Copy file paths in Vista: To copy a path in Vista, hold down the Shift key and right-click any file or folder. Choose Copy as Path. Vista will add the path to the clipboard, and then you can paste it anywhere that accepts text.

Copy file paths into command lines (older Windows versions): In Windows versions prior to Vista, if you need a file or folder path to appear in a command prompt window, simply locate the file in Explorer and drag it into the command prompt window. Add any switches or other options you want to include, and then press Enter. Unfortunately, this trick doesn't work in Vista.

Copy file paths with Clip This: If you need a file path for other purposes, your best bet is to install the freeware program Clip This. The utility lets you right-click any file or folder and choose Send To, ClipThis. Thereafter, you can paste the path anywhere that accepts text.

Note that Clip This does not add quotation marks around a path; you may need such marks when working with paths that have spaces or long file names. Also, the utility is installed by default in the Send To folder of All Users, but I could make it work only if I moved it to the Send To folder of the current user profile. In Windows 2000 and XP, that folder is C:\Documents and Settings\username\SendTo. In Windows Me, move it to C:\Windows\SendTo.