What is the regex for windows file path?

The regex pattern for windows file path is `^[a-zA-Z]:\$?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\$*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$`. This pattern validates windows absolute file path (c:\folder\file.txt).

How do I use this regex in JavaScript?

In JavaScript, create the regex with `const regex = /^[a-zA-Z]:\$?:[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\$*[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$/;` and test with `regex.test(yourValue)`. It returns `true` if the value matches.

How do I use this regex in Python?

In Python, use `import re; re.match(r'^[a-zA-Z]:\$?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\$*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$', value)`. The raw string prefix (`r`) prevents Python from interpreting backslashes as escape characters.

Is this regex case-sensitive?

This pattern explicitly handles both uppercase and lowercase via the character classes. No additional flags needed.

Regex for Windows File Path

Regex Pattern

^[a-zA-Z]:\$?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\$*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$

Windows absolute file path (C:\folder\file.txt)

Quick Answer

The regex pattern for windows file path is `^[a-zA-Z]:\$?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\$*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$`. Windows absolute file path (C:\folder\file.txt). This works in JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, and most regex engines that support PCRE syntax.

Test Examples

Input	Result
C:\Users\file.txt	✓ Matches
D:\Program Files\app.exe	✓ Matches
E:\	✓ Matches
/unix/path	✗ No match
C:	✗ No match
C:\invalid*name	✗ No match

Code Examples

javascript

const regex = /^[a-zA-Z]:\\(?:[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\\)*[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$/;
const isValid = regex.test(value);

python

import re
pattern = r'^[a-zA-Z]:\\(?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\\)*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$'
if re.match(pattern, value):
    print("valid")

ruby

pattern = /^[a-zA-Z]:\\(?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\\)*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$/
if value =~ pattern
  puts "valid"
end

php

if (preg_match('/^[a-zA-Z]:\\(?:[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+\\)*[^\\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*$/', $value)) {
    echo "valid";
}

java

String pattern = "^[a-zA-Z]:\\\\(?:[^\\\\/:*?"<>|\\r\\n]+\\\\)*[^\\\\/:*?"<>|\\r\\n]*$";
boolean isValid = value.matches(pattern);

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Regex Patterns

File Extension

File extension at the end of a filename

Image File Extension

Common image file extensions

Video File Extension

Common video file extensions

Absolute Unix Path

Absolute filesystem path starting with /

Unix File Path

Unix absolute file path (must have at least one path component)

Filename with Extension

Filename with at least one extension