> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ntop.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Can I use relative paths instead of absolute paths?

## Issue:

Can I use relative paths instead of absolute paths?

## Cause:

When you input a relative path (such as a standalone filename like file\_name.ext or a path starting with a dot like ./xyz/file\_name.ext), nTop resolves this location relative to its official software installation directory.

By default, the software looks for or saves relative file paths in:

\**C:\Program Files\nTopology\nTopology\**

Because nTop evaluates relative paths based on the parent installation folder rather than the directory where your current .ntop notebook file is saved, using short relative paths can easily lead to missing file errors or misplaced exports.

## Solution:

To prevent broken file links and ensure your workflows remain portable, we recommend using absolute paths **(e.g., C:/Users/your\_username/Downloads/file\_name.ext).** When you provide the complete directory path, nTop accesses the file correctly regardless of where your project file is saved.

If you need to construct flexible or dynamic file paths to easily share workflows across different computers, you can use the **Concatenate Text** block to build a pseudo-relative path system.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/files-learn/help-articles/interop/relative-path.png)![]()## More on this topic:

* [How to export an STL](/help-articles/knowledge-base/interop/how-to-export-an-stl)
* [What types of FE data can I export?](/help-articles/knowledge-base/interop/what-types-of-fe-data-can-i-export)
* [What file types can nTop import and export?](/help-articles/knowledge-base/interop/what-file-types-can-ntop-import-and-export)

## Keywords:

*list export file question element path text absolute relative concatenate folder*