---
title: "Operations on File Names"
language: "en"
type: "Guide"
summary: "The Wolfram Language provides a convenient collection of platform-independent functions for manipulating names of files and directories. These functions can also be used to assemble and disassemble file-name-like constructs such as URLs."
sections: 
  - 
    title: "Directories"
    link: "paclet:guide/DirectoriesAndDirectoryOperations"
  - 
    title: "URLs"
    link: "paclet:guide/URLManipulation"
keywords: 
- operations on file names
- filename operations
- file name operations
- platform independent file names
- directory name operations
- folder name operations
- file name functions
- filename functions
- directory name functions
- folder name functions
canonical_url: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/OperationsOnFileNames.html"
source: "Wolfram Language Documentation"
related_guides: 
  - 
    title: "Systems-Related String Operations"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/SystemsRelatedStringOperations.en.md"
  - 
    title: "File Operations"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/FileOperations.en.md"
  - 
    title: "String Manipulation"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/StringManipulation.en.md"
  - 
    title: "URL Manipulation"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/URLManipulation.en.md"
related_functions: 
  - 
    title: "AbsoluteFileName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/AbsoluteFileName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "ContextToFileName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContextToFileName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "DirectoryName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/DirectoryName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "DirectoryQ"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/DirectoryQ.en.md"
  - 
    title: "ExpandFileName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ExpandFileName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "File"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/File.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileBaseName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileBaseName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileExistsQ"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileExistsQ.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileExtension"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileExtension.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameDepth"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameDepth.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameDrop"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameDrop.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameJoin"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameJoin.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNames"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNames.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameSetter"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameSetter.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameSplit"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameSplit.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FileNameTake"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameTake.en.md"
  - 
    title: "FindFile"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.en.md"
  - 
    title: "NotebookDirectory"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/NotebookDirectory.en.md"
  - 
    title: "NotebookFileName"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/NotebookFileName.en.md"
  - 
    title: "ParentDirectory"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ParentDirectory.en.md"
  - 
    title: "URLBuild"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLBuild.en.md"
  - 
    title: "URLDecode"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLDecode.en.md"
  - 
    title: "URLEncode"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLEncode.en.md"
  - 
    title: "URLParse"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLParse.en.md"
related_tutorials: 
  - 
    title: "Naming and Finding Files"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesStreamsAndExternalOperations.en.md#12068"
  - 
    title: "External Programs"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesStreamsAndExternalOperations.en.md#8182"
  - 
    title: "Files and Streams"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesAndStreams.en.md"
  - 
    title: "Wolfram System File Organization"
    link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/WolframSystemFileOrganization.en.md"
---
# Operations on File Names

The Wolfram Language provides a convenient collection of platform-independent functions for manipulating names of files and directories. These functions can also be used to assemble and disassemble file-name-like constructs such as URLs.

---

[`FileNameSplit`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameSplit.en.md) — split a file name into directory and name parts

[`FileNameJoin`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameJoin.en.md) — assemble a file name from a list of components

---

[`FileNameTake`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameTake.en.md), [`FileNameDrop`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameDrop.en.md) — take, drop elements from a file name

* [`FileBaseName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileBaseName.en.md)
* [`FileExtension`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileExtension.en.md)
* [`FileNameDepth`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameDepth.en.md)
* [`NotebookFileName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/NotebookFileName.en.md)

[`ExpandFileName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ExpandFileName.en.md) — textually expand to absolute file name form

[`AbsoluteFileName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/AbsoluteFileName.en.md) — determine the absolute name for a file in your filesystem

[`ContextToFileName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContextToFileName.en.md) — name of file conventionally associated with a context

### [`Directories`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/DirectoriesAndDirectoryOperations.en.md)

[`DirectoryQ`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/DirectoryQ.en.md) — test whether a name corresponds to an existing directory

* [`NotebookDirectory`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/NotebookDirectory.en.md)
* [`ParentDirectory`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ParentDirectory.en.md)
* [`DirectoryName`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/DirectoryName.en.md)
* [`...`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/DirectoriesAndDirectoryOperations.en.md)

* [`\$Path`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$Path.en.md)
* [`\$RootDirectory`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$RootDirectory.en.md)
* [`\$HomeDirectory`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$HomeDirectory.en.md)
* [`\$UserBaseDirectory`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$UserBaseDirectory.en.md)
* [`...`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/DirectoriesAndDirectoryOperations.en.md)

---

[`FileNames`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNames.en.md) — list names of files or directories on your computer system

[`FileExistsQ`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileExistsQ.en.md) — test whether a file exists on your computer system

[`FindFile`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.en.md) — find a file on [`\$Path`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$Path.en.md), etc.

[`FileNameSetter`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FileNameSetter.en.md) — interactively browse for a file

---

[`File`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/File.en.md) — symbolic representation of a file location

### [`URLs`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/URLManipulation.en.md)

* [`URLEncode`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLEncode.en.md)
* [`URLDecode`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLDecode.en.md)
* [`URLBuild`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLBuild.en.md)
* [`URLParse`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/URLParse.en.md)
* [`...`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/URLManipulation.en.md)

## Tech Notes

* [Naming and Finding Files](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesStreamsAndExternalOperations.en.md#12068)
* [External Programs](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesStreamsAndExternalOperations.en.md#8182)
* [Files and Streams](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/FilesAndStreams.en.md)
* [Wolfram System File Organization](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/WolframSystemFileOrganization.en.md)

## Related Guides

* [Systems-Related String Operations](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/SystemsRelatedStringOperations.en.md)
* [File Operations](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/FileOperations.en.md)
* [String Manipulation](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/StringManipulation.en.md)
* [URL Manipulation](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/URLManipulation.en.md)