# Read Files from any directory
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919
**Category:** General
**Created:** [9 December 2021 11:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919 "2021-12-09T11:30:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@hanine](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hanine)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 11:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/1 "2021-12-09T11:30:06Z")
How do I make node red read files from any directory not just files under the directory which it is installed in.
Thank you in advance.
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 11:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/2 "2021-12-09T11:47:54Z")
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### Author:  [@hanine](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hanine)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 11:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/3 "2021-12-09T11:52:58Z")
Thank you for the reply . Do you have an idea if i can read the file path when I am choosing it from an input file?
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 12:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/4 "2021-12-09T12:16:58Z")
Are you on Linux or Windows?
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### Author:  [@hanine](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hanine)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/5 "2021-12-09T13:01:33Z")
windows 10
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/6 "2021-12-09T13:05:05Z")
The file browser should show the path to the file you select.
For Windows you should use back slashes:
```auto
\path_to\your_file
```
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### Author:  [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/7 "2021-12-09T13:07:15Z")
The direction of the slashes should not matter - the underlying node runtime will do the right thing.
@hanine if you want to dynamically set the path the file node will read from, you can pass it in via `msg.filename`.
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/8 "2021-12-09T13:08:10Z")
Here you go:
[https://www.top-password.com/blog/tag/how-to-find-file-path-windows-10/](https://www.top-password.com/blog/tag/how-to-find-file-path-windows-10/)
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### Author:  [@hanine](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hanine)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/9 "2021-12-09T13:10:00Z")
The file name only passes the name without the path I mean in which directory the path is stored that's what i want because after that it's passed to a read file node which needs the fall path or it will go look for it under the directory which node red is installed in.
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### Author:  [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)
#### Post date: [9 December 2021 13:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/10 "2021-12-09T13:31:56Z")
You can provide the full path to the file under `msg.filename`.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [23 December 2021 13:32 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/read-files-from-any-directory/54919/11 "2021-12-23T13:32:49Z")
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