@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ helpviewer_keywords:
   - "path formats, Windows"
 ai-usage: ai-assisted
 ---
+
 # File path formats on Windows systems
 
 Members of many of the types in the <xref:System.IO> namespace include a `path` parameter that lets you specify an absolute or relative path to a file system resource. This path is then passed to [Windows file system APIs](/windows/desktop/fileio/file-systems). This topic discusses the formats for file paths that you can use on Windows systems.
@@ -25,8 +26,8 @@ A standard DOS path can consist of three components:
 
 If all three components are present, the path is absolute. If no volume or drive letter is specified and the directory name begins with the [directory separator character](<xref:System.IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar>), the path is relative from the root of the current drive. Otherwise, the path is relative to the current directory. The following table shows some possible directory and file paths.
 
-|Path  |Description  |
-| -- | -- |
+| Path | Description |
+| --- | --- |
 | `C:\Documents\Newsletters\Summer2018.pdf` | An absolute file path from the root of drive `C:`. |
 | `\Program Files\Custom Utilities\StringFinder.exe` | A relative path from the root of the current drive. |
 | `2018\January.xlsx` | A relative path to a file in a subdirectory of the current directory. |
@@ -55,24 +56,24 @@ Universal naming convention (UNC) paths, which are used to access network resour
 
 The following are some examples of UNC paths:
 
-|Path  |Description  |
-| -- | -- |
+| Path | Description |
+| --- | --- |
 | `\\system07\C$\` | The root directory of the `C:` drive on `system07`. |
-| `\\Server2\Share\Test\Foo.txt` | The `Foo.txt` file in the Test directory of the `\\Server2\Share` volume.|
+| `\\Server2\Share\Test\Foo.txt` | The `Foo.txt` file in the Test directory of the `\\Server2\Share` volume. |
 
 UNC paths must always be fully qualified. They can include relative directory segments (`.` and `..`), but these must be part of a fully qualified path. You can use relative paths only by mapping a UNC path to a drive letter.
 
 ## DOS device paths
 
 The Windows operating system has a unified object model that points to all resources, including files. These object paths are accessible from the console window and are exposed to the Win32 layer through a special folder of symbolic links that legacy DOS and UNC paths are mapped to. This special folder is accessed via the DOS device path syntax, which is one of:
 
-`\\.\C:\Test\Foo.txt`
-`\\?\C:\Test\Foo.txt`
+- `\\.\C:\Test\Foo.txt`
+- `\\?\C:\Test\Foo.txt`
 
 In addition to identifying a drive by its drive letter, you can identify a volume by using its volume GUID. This takes the form:
 
-`\\.\Volume{b75e2c83-0000-0000-0000-602f00000000}\Test\Foo.txt`
-`\\?\Volume{b75e2c83-0000-0000-0000-602f00000000}\Test\Foo.txt`
+- `\\.\Volume{b75e2c83-0000-0000-0000-602f00000000}\Test\Foo.txt`
+- `\\?\Volume{b75e2c83-0000-0000-0000-602f00000000}\Test\Foo.txt`
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > DOS device path syntax is supported on .NET implementations running on Windows starting with .NET Core 1.1 and .NET Framework 4.6.2.
@@ -81,19 +82,19 @@ The DOS device path consists of the following components:
 
 - The device path specifier (`\\.\` or `\\?\`), which identifies the path as a DOS device path.
 
-   > [!NOTE]
-   > The `\\?\` is supported in all versions of .NET Core and .NET 5+ and in .NET Framework starting with version 4.6.2.
+  > [!NOTE]
+  > The `\\?\` is supported in all versions of .NET Core and .NET 5+ and in .NET Framework starting with version 4.6.2.
 
 - A symbolic link to the "real" device object (C: in the case of a drive name, or Volume{b75e2c83-0000-0000-0000-602f00000000} in the case of a volume GUID).
 
-   The first segment of the DOS device path after the device path specifier identifies the volume or drive. (For example, `\\?\C:\` and `\\.\BootPartition\`.)
+  The first segment of the DOS device path after the device path specifier identifies the volume or drive. (For example, `\\?\C:\` and `\\.\BootPartition\`.)
 
-   There is a specific link for UNCs that is called, not surprisingly, `UNC`. For example:
+  There is a specific link for UNCs that is called, not surprisingly, `UNC`. For example:
 
-  `\\.\UNC\Server\Share\Test\Foo.txt`
-  `\\?\UNC\Server\Share\Test\Foo.txt`
+  - `\\.\UNC\Server\Share\Test\Foo.txt`
+  - `\\?\UNC\Server\Share\Test\Foo.txt`
 
-    For device UNCs, the server/share portion forms the volume. For example, in `\\?\server1\utilities\\filecomparer\`, the server/share portion is `server1\utilities`. This is significant when calling a method such as <xref:System.IO.Path.GetFullPath(System.String,System.String)?displayProperty=nameWithType> with relative directory segments; it is never possible to navigate past the volume.
+  For device UNCs, the server/share portion forms the volume. For example, in `\\?\server1\utilities\\filecomparer\`, the server/share portion is `server1\utilities`. This is significant when calling a method such as <xref:System.IO.Path.GetFullPath(System.String,System.String)?displayProperty=nameWithType> with relative directory segments; it is never possible to navigate past the volume.
 
 DOS device paths are fully qualified by definition and can't begin with a relative directory segment (`.` or `..`). Current directories never enter into their usage.
 
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@ As the path is processed, any components or segments that are composed of a sing
 
 - For a double period, the current segment and the parent segment are removed, since the double period refers to the parent directory.
 
-   Parent directories are only removed if they aren't past the root of the path. The root of the path depends on the type of path. It is the drive (`C:\`) for DOS paths, the server/share for UNCs (`\\Server\Share`), and the device path prefix for device paths (`\\?\` or `\\.\`).
+  Parent directories are only removed if they aren't past the root of the path. The root of the path depends on the type of path. It is the drive (`C:\`) for DOS paths, the server/share for UNCs (`\\Server\Share`), and the device path prefix for device paths (`\\?\` or `\\.\`).
 
 ### Trim characters
 
@@ -174,10 +175,10 @@ Along with the runs of separators and relative segments removed earlier, some ad
 
 - If the path doesn't end in a separator, all trailing periods and spaces (U+0020) are removed. If the last segment is simply a single or double period, it falls under the relative components rule above.
 
-   This rule means that you can create a directory name with a trailing space by adding a trailing separator after the space.
+  This rule means that you can create a directory name with a trailing space by adding a trailing separator after the space.
 
-   > [!IMPORTANT]
-   > You should **never** create a directory or filename with a trailing space. Trailing spaces can make it difficult or impossible to access a directory, and applications commonly fail when attempting to handle directories or files whose names include trailing spaces.
+  > [!IMPORTANT]
+  > You should **never** create a directory or filename with a trailing space. Trailing spaces can make it difficult or impossible to access a directory, and applications commonly fail when attempting to handle directories or files whose names include trailing spaces.
 
 ## Skip normalization