How do I show file paths on Mac?

Copying a file or folder on your Mac is extremely simple. You just select a file and press the shortcut key combination MacOS press Command + C . However, how to find the exact path of that file or directory is 'much more difficult'.

On macOS, however, there are three methods that you can use to display a specific file or folder path. Let's find out right now.

View file paths using Terminal on Mac

When using Terminal, there are a lot of commands that require you to enter the full path of the file. Hence, the Terminal tool itself is also capable of showing you the full path of any file located on the system. Here's how to do it.

First, launch Terminal using Spotlight, search for it in Launchpad, or browse to the ' Applications -> Utilities ' folder .

When Terminal opens, you will be greeted with a command prompt. In common situations, you'll be working on the command line with text. But in this case, you can drag and drop your file into Terminal, and the full path of that episode will be displayed in detail on the screen.

Use the 'Go to Folder' option

If you want to show the file path directly from the Finder window instead of having to go to the Terminal, you can use the 'Go to Folder' option.

To get started, open the Finder window any way you want, then navigate to the toolbar at the top and click on the ' Go ' tab . In the menu that appears, scroll to the bottom and click on the ' Go to Folder ' option.

Immediately a dialog box will appear on the screen, drag and drop your file into the path field. The full path of the file will be displayed here.

Use the Automator application

Automator is quite a useful application. It allows you to add many handy features, not available by default, to your Mac. In this case, you can use Automator to display the file path on the Mac.

First, you will find the Automator application in the Applications . folder .

Once opened, Automator will ask for the location where you want to create a new service. You can choose any location you want on the system, but for this example we'll use the default directory.

Next, you will be asked what kind of document you want to create. Select ' Quick Action ', then click ' Choose ' to confirm.

From the next screen, you will need to put two options at the top of the Automator window. The final setting will say ' Workflow receives current files or folders in Finder '.

When done, use the Actions search field on the left side of the screen to find the ' Copy to Clipboard ' option. Once you have found it, drag it over to the Workflow panel.

At this point, your service is ready. After saving and naming the new service, return to the Finder.

From here, right-click on the file you want to show the path to, then select Services and click on your service's name. You will also notice it in the Quick Action submenu .

The full path of the file you selected will be copied to the clipboard. Now you can paste it as text wherever you need to see the specific path of that file.

Kareem Winters

Update 01 April 2021