Path (computing)

A path (or filepath, file path, pathname, or similar) is a string that uniquely identifies an item in a hierarchical file system. Generally, a path is composed of directory names, special format specifiers, and optionally a filename, all separated by delimiters. This delimiter can vary by operating system, but popular, modern systems use the slash /, backslash \, or colon :.

The case-sensitivity of individual path components will vary based on operating system, or based on options specified at the time of a file system's creation or first use. In practice, this means that for a case-sensitive system, path components named component1 and Component1 can coexist at the same level in the hierarchy, whereas for a case-insensitive file system, they cannot (an error will occur). macOS and Windows' native file systems are case-insensitive by default, whereas typical Linux file systems are case-sensitive.[1][2][3]

A path can be either relative or absolute. A relative path is a path in relation to another, most often the working directory. An absolute path indicates a location regardless of the current directory; that is, it specifies all path components starting from the file system's root, and does not depend on context like a relative path does.

Paths are also essential for locating hierarchically-organized network resources, as seen in URLs and UNC paths.

  1. ^ "File system formats available in Disk Utility on Mac". Apple Support. Retrieved 12 September 2025. Includes a description of APFS, the default file system for macOS
  2. ^ Matt Wojciakowski. "Case Sensitivity". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 12 September 2025. Windows file system treats file and directory names as case-insensitive. FOO.txt and foo.txt will be treated as equivalent files. Linux file system treats file and directory names as case-sensitive. FOO.txt and foo.txt will be treated as distinct files.
  3. ^ Day, Brittany. "Understanding the Linux Filesystem Case Sensitivity Debate". Linux Security. Retrieved 12 September 2025. Case sensitivity in Linux refers to files and directories recognizing differences between lowercase and uppercase characters in filenames. For instance, "File.txt" and "file.txt" would both be treated as two distinct files. This concept is integral to Unix-like operating systems, including Linux.
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