Some, but not all, programs have a hotkey for getting the path to the active file. Even when they do have a hotkey, the hotkey isn’t usually the same across programs. That’s where our amazing AutoHotkey v2 script, Get Active Path comes in. One hotkey (which you can assign) will get the active path in a TON of different programs!
Updated on 2026/05/22 to Version: 1.6.0
How to easily get the Path of your active file with AutoHotkey
Stop Digging for File Paths — Get Active Path Does It in One Hotkey
Ever find yourself right-clicking a file, hunting through menus, or manually copying a path from the address bar? It’s one of those tiny annoyances that adds up — especially when you do it dozens of times a day. Get Active Path (GAP) eliminates that friction entirely. One hotkey, and the full file path of whatever you’re working on lands on your clipboard. Done.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a code editor, a browser, a PDF reader, or Photoshop — GAP figures out what program you’re in and grabs the path using the most reliable method available for that app. No plugins, no configuration, no dependencies.
How It Works
Press Ctrl+Shift+C in any supported program and Get Active Path instantly copies the full file path to your clipboard. A notification pops up confirming what was copied. That’s it❗
no dialogs, no menus, no extra steps.
Long-press the hotkey and it opens the file’s parent folder in Explorer. Perfect for when you need to get to the directory itself.
In browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Brave), it gets even smarter: if you have text selected, GAP builds a formatted hyperlink with the selected text and the page URL, ready to paste into an email, Word doc, or CMS. If nothing is selected, it just grabs the URL.
38+ Supported Programs
GAP uses the best available method for each program — COM automation, UI Automation, native APIs, or intelligent title-bar parsing — so you get reliable results every time.
| Category | Programs |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Office | Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher |
| Code Editors & IDEs | VS Code, Cursor, Visual Studio, Notepad++, Sublime Text, AHK Studio, SciTE4AHK, Notepad (Win11) |
| Browsers | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Brave — copies URL or builds hyperlink from selected text |
| File Managers | Windows Explorer, Everything, Directory Opus, Total Commander, WinSCP, 7-Zip, WinRAR |
| PDF Readers | SumatraPDF, Foxit PDF Reader/Editor, PDF-XChange Editor |
| Creative & Media | Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Paint.NET, IrfanView, VLC |
| Search & Compare | FileSearchEX, GrepWin, WinMerge, Beyond Compare |
| Dialogs & Scripts | Any Open/Save dialog box, running AutoHotkey scripts |
Real-World Use Cases
Writing documentation? Grab file paths from Explorer or your editor without manually navigating to the address bar.
Referencing a web page? Select the text you want to quote in Chrome, hit the hotkey, and you’ve got a clean hyperlink on your clipboard — ready to paste into Outlook, WordPress, or Slack.
Working in Photoshop or Illustrator? Need to tell a colleague which file you’re editing? One hotkey instead of File → Info → copy the path.
Comparing files in WinMerge? Quickly grab the file path to reference in a commit message or bug report.
Open/Save dialogs? Even when you’re inside a File Open or Save As dialog, GAP grabs the current path. No more squinting at the breadcrumb bar.
Smart Features
- Wrap in Quotes — toggle from the tray menu to automatically wrap paths in double quotes (great for command-line use)
- Remove URL Tracking — strips tracking parameters from URLs so you share clean links
- Long-Press to Open Folder — hold the hotkey a moment longer and GAP opens the containing folder
- Customizable Hotkey — change the trigger key to whatever works best for your workflow
- Run at Startup — set it once and forget it
Built with AutoHotkey v2
Get Active Path is built entirely in AutoHotkey v2. It’s lightweight, runs in the system tray, and uses native Windows APIs wherever possible — COM automation for Office and creative apps, UI Automation for modern apps, and Win32 messaging for editors like Notepad++. No browser extensions, no plugins, no elevated permissions required.
Watch It in Action
See Get Active Path in action in the intro video — it covers the core workflow and shows how fast it is across different programs:
Watch the Intro Video on YouTube
If you spend any time working with files on Windows — and you do — this is one of those tools that makes you wonder how you ever got by without it. One hotkey. Every program. Every path.
