I frequently work with multiple instances of Visual Studio, often working on different branches of the same solution.

Visual C++ 6.0 used to display the full path of the current source file in its title bar, but Visual Studio 2005 doesn't appear to do this. This makes it slightly more awkward than it should be to work out which branch of the solution I'm currently looking at (the quickest way I know of is to hover over a tab so you get the source file's path as a tooltip).

Is there a way to get the full solution or file path into the title bar, or at least somewhere that's always visible, so I can quickly tell which branch is loaded into each instance?

TabsStudio | US$49

It is a pretty good (although paid) Visual Studio extension that provides:

  • Tab grouping
  • Tab coloring
  • Title transformation
  • Lots of customization and extensions

Tabs Studio Screenshot

File Path On Footer | Free

It displays the full file path on the bottom of the editor window:

File Path On Footer Screenshot

Honorable Mention: Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code version 1.26 implemented breadcrumbs which displays the file path in a separate row at the top of the editor window when using tabs or inline the file name when in its own window.

Visual Studio Code Breadcrumbs Screenshot