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When working with files on your Mac, you may need to Show Current Path in Finder Title Bar current directory. You might want to do this for a number of reasons. For example, you might want to work with the current directory in Terminal and need the full path, or someone might want to know the path to a file on your Mac so they can get to it.
By default, the Mac Finder app’s title bar doesn’t show the full path. Only the name of the folder you are in is shown. But you can change the title bar so that it shows the full directory path instead of the folder name.
How to Show Current Path in Finder Title Bar
How to Enable the Finder Path Bar
- Start by opening a Finder window on your Mac. An easy way to do this is to click the Finder icon in the Dock.
- With a Finder window open, select Show Path Bar from the View menu.
- The Path Bar displays at the bottom of all your Finder windows showing the path to any file or folder you choose.
Disable the Finder Path Bar
- Open a Finder window.
- Select Hide Path Bar from the View menu.
Show the Path in the Finder Title Bar
By default, the name of the currently selected directory is the “title” of any given Finder window. In the previous example, we went to Data > Dropbox > TekRevue > Articles, so the name of the Finder window was “Articles.”
But there’s a hidden Terminal command that lets you show the full path in the title bar instead of just the active folder (very similar to how Apple now treats website addresses in Safari).
- Launch Terminal.
- Enter the following command(note: this command involves relaunching Finder, so while you won’t lose any data, all of your open Finder windows will be closed, so make sure you take note of your current Finder locations if you’re actively working on a file-focused project):
FAQ
What is $PATH in Mac?
PATH is a system-level variable that holds a list of directories. When you enter a command in the terminal, it’s shorthand for a program with the same name. The system looks in each of the PATH directories for the program corresponding to the command. When it finds a matching program, it runs it.
How do I change the path in Finder on a Mac?
Under the General tab, click the dropdown menu below New Finder windows show. Select a recommended folder like Desktop, Documents, or iCloud Drive. To select something else, click Other, select the relevant folder, and then click Choose.
How do I find the current folder path in Finder Mac?
Open a Finder window, and from the top menu bar, click the “View” button. In the menu that appears, click “Show Path Bar.” Instantly, you will see a new Path Bar at the bottom of every finder window. It will show you the system path to the current folder.
How do I update my path?
- Select Start, select Control Panel. double click System, and select the Advanced tab.
- Click Environment Variables. …
- In the Edit System Variable (or New System Variable) window, specify the value of the PATH environment variable.
What is a path in a URL?
The path refers to the exact location of a page, post, file, or other asset. It is often analogous to the underlying file structure of the website. The path resides after the hostname and is separated by “/” (forward slash).