How to show and copy a file's path in Finder on a Mac

Turn on the path bar, put the full path in the window title, or copy any file's path with one shortcut. Three ways to see where a file lives in Finder.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

How do I show the path in Finder?

Choose View, Show Path Bar, or press ⌥ ⌘ P. A bar along the bottom of every Finder window shows the chain of folders from the disk to where you are. Double click any folder in it to go there, or drag a file onto one to move it.

How do I copy a file's path?

  1. Select the file or folder in Finder.
  2. Press ⌥ ⌘ C. Or right click it, hold ⌥, and choose Copy as Pathname.
  3. Paste the full path anywhere with ⌘ V.

Can Finder show the full path in the window title?

Yes, with a hidden setting. Run this in Terminal, and Finder restarts showing paths like /Users/you/Documents/Invoices in the title:

defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool true && killall Finder

To undo it, run the same line with false in place of true.

Is there another quick way to see where I am?

Hold ⌘ and click the folder name in the title bar. A menu lists every folder above it, and you can choose one to go there.

Paste a path into Terminal to work there: open Terminal in any Finder folder. New to Finder? Read File Explorer on a Mac.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: Show Path Bar was read from Finder's menus, and the _FXShowPosixPathInTitle setting is still present in the system.

Questions

How do I see the folder path in Finder?

Choose View, Show Path Bar, or press Option Command P.

How do I copy a file path on a Mac?

Select the file and press Option Command C.

Can Finder show the full path in the title bar?

Yes, with the _FXShowPosixPathInTitle setting in Terminal.

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