How to Add to and Edit Windows Path Variable
Please note that this post is over a year old and may contain outdated information.
The Windows Path variable is a semicolon-delimited string of directory locations. These locations contain executable programs that can be called directly, without needing to type in the full file path.
For example: Say you're in a command prompt and want to call Android ADB. You might run a command like:
But if you have C:\Program Files\Android in your Windows Path, you only need to run:
You must first find the Windows Path variable. Follow these steps (may be slightly different for Windows 8 or 10):
You should now see a window like this:
You can add to and edit directly in the system window, but due to its small size I recommend copying the Variable value and pasting it into a plain text editor like Notepad++. Once you've made your modifications, then copy and paste it back into the system window.
What I also recommend doing is splitting the variable into new lines for easier editing. For example, replace ; with ;\r\n, then when you're done editing remove all line breaks.
For example: Say you're in a command prompt and want to call Android ADB. You might run a command like:
> C:\Program Files\Android\adb.exe
But if you have C:\Program Files\Android in your Windows Path, you only need to run:
> adb
Finding the Windows Path Variable
You must first find the Windows Path variable. Follow these steps (may be slightly different for Windows 8 or 10):
- Open the Start Menu
- Right-click on Computer and click Properties
- Click Advanced system settings
- Make sure you're on the Advanced tab
- Click Environment Variables
- Under System variables, scroll to find the Path Variable
- Click on Path and then click Edit
You should now see a window like this:
Editing the Windows Path Variable
You can add to and edit directly in the system window, but due to its small size I recommend copying the Variable value and pasting it into a plain text editor like Notepad++. Once you've made your modifications, then copy and paste it back into the system window.
What I also recommend doing is splitting the variable into new lines for easier editing. For example, replace ; with ;\r\n, then when you're done editing remove all line breaks.