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Windows Vista - Explorer - Copy File or Folder Path to DOS Prompt or Windows App

SUMMARY: Copy the name of a file or folder's path to the DOS command window, a Windows application, a text file, or other locations.

There may be times where you need the complete path to a file or folder in your Windows Vista system. Perhaps you need to copy a file's path to insert into a batch file in a DOS command window. You might want to copy and paste a long file path into a Windows application so you don't have to find it again later. Or, you may want to run an application with a command-line switch and don't want to re-type the entire application's path.

Windows Vista has a somewhat secret trick that lets you copy a file or folder's path to the Clipboard.

Hold down the Shift key and right-click a file or folder in Explorer. A previously-unseen "Copy as Path" option appears. Select it and the complete file path will be in the Clipboard, ready for pasting virtually anywhere. The path will be surrounded by quotes, useful if you plan on pasting the path to the "Start" button or a DOS command box.

Note that this will not work if you right-click on folders in Explorer's Navigation Pane.