Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Finding the Directory Name.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 23, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
If you have a need to return, in a cell, the directory in which your workbook is saved, you may be tempted to use a macro to figure out the answer. While this is a valid approach (and relatively easy), some people are intimidated by macros or don't want to use them within the workbooks. The following worksheet formula will return the directory in which the workbook is stored:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
=LEFT(CELL("Filename",$A$1),FIND("[",CELL("Filename",$A$1))-1)
If you use this formula in a workbook that is brand new—one that has yet to be saved—then it will return a #VALUE! error. This happens because the filename has not yet been set, and the LEFT function cannot return a portion of something that is not there. To avoid the error, simply encase the formula in the IFERROR function, as follows:
=IFERROR(LEFT(CELL("Filename",$A$1),FIND("[",CELL("Filename",$A$1))-1),"")
In this variation the CELL function is used to extract and return the directory name, but only if it has been set. If it has not been set, then an error occurs and IFERROR returns an empty string.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9455) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Finding the Directory Name.
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2025-08-28 14:29:33
J. Woolley
The NameOf function in My Excel Toolbox can return the current workbook's path like this:
    =NameOf("path")
It is described in my comment here: https://excelribbon.tips.net/T011766
2025-08-27 12:26:03
J. Woolley
Here's another way to view the current workbook's path:
1. Press F12 to open the Save As dialog
2. Observe the path at the top of the dialog
3. Click the folder icon at the left of the path
4. You can press Ctrl+C to copy the path
5. Click Cancel to close the dialog
2025-08-25 17:29:45
Francisco de Jesus Orozco Ruiz
Hi! To find the current workbook location I prefer adding it permanently to the quick tool bar: Click File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar, then in the "Choose commands from" dropdown, select All Commands. Scroll down, find and select Document Location (or Address [Document Location]), then click Add >>. Finally, Click OK. The path of the work book appears in the tool bar inside a text box and can be copied from it easily. Unfortunately, this only works for desktop versions, as Excel 365 for web does not have a Quick ToolBar (yet).
2025-08-23 11:13:28
I have found that inserting the below macro and adding it to Quick Access Toolbar returns the same result:
Sub ShowFilePath()
ActiveWindow.Caption = ActiveWorkbook.FullName
End Sub
2025-08-23 05:02:36
Steve Woodward
Hi Alan,
I use this formula a lot but cannot get it to work in the web version of excel 365.
2025-08-23 04:59:09
Alex Blakenburg
If you have Excel 2024 or MS365 then maybe: =TEXTBEFORE(CELL("filename", $A$1),"[")
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