Copy Path for Finder

A tiny macOS Finder extension that adds a "Copy Path" option to the right-click menu — always visible, no Option key required.

macOS already has this hidden behind holding Option while the menu is open. Nobody knows that. This extension puts it where it belongs.

How it works

1. Right-click any file or folder in Finder
2. Click "Copy Path"
3. The full POSIX path is on your clipboard, ready to paste

If multiple files are selected, all paths are copied, one per line.

Cloud folders (Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)

The right-click item intentionally does not appear inside cloud FileProvider mounts — Apple reserves those folders for the provider's own FinderSync extension. Inside a cloud folder, use macOS's built-in shortcut instead:

• Select a file
• Press Option + Command + C

Same result. This is a platform limitation, not a bug.

Install

From source (requires Xcode)

git clone https://github.com/ojhurst/finder-copy-path.git
cd finder-copy-path
brew install xcodegen  # if you don't have it
xcodegen generate
xcodebuild -project CopyPathHelper.xcodeproj -scheme CopyPathHelper -configuration Release build

Copy the built app to /Applications:

cp -R ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/CopyPathHelper-*/Build/Products/Release/CopyPathHelper.app /Applications/

Launch it, then enable the extension:

open /Applications/CopyPathHelper.app
pluginkit -e use -i com.ojhurst.CopyPathHelper.CopyPathExtension

Verify it's running

pluginkit -m -p com.apple.FinderSync

You should see + com.ojhurst.CopyPathHelper.CopyPathExtension in the output.

Uninstall

pluginkit -e ignore -i com.ojhurst.CopyPathHelper.CopyPathExtension
rm -rf /Applications/CopyPathHelper.app

How it's built

• CopyPathHelper — A minimal container app with no UI. Hides from the Dock. Exists only to host the extension.
• CopyPathExtension — A Finder Sync Extension that watches all mounted volumes and adds the context menu item whenever files are right-clicked.

Built with Swift, uses XcodeGen for project generation. Same architecture as finder-move.

License

MIT — do whatever you want with it.