How to use OpenFileDialog to select a folder?

Basically you need the FolderBrowserDialog class:

Prompts the user to select a folder. This class cannot be inherited.

Example:

using(var fbd = new FolderBrowserDialog())
{
    DialogResult result = fbd.ShowDialog();

    if (result == DialogResult.OK && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(fbd.SelectedPath))
    {
        string[] files = Directory.GetFiles(fbd.SelectedPath);

        System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Files found: " + files.Length.ToString(), "Message");
    }
}

If you work in WPF you have to add the reference to System.Windows.Forms.

you also have to add using System.IO for Directory class


As a note for future users who would like to avoid using FolderBrowserDialog, Microsoft once released an API called the WindowsAPICodePack that had a helpful dialog called CommonOpenFileDialog, that could be set into a IsFolderPicker mode. The API is available from Microsoft as a NuGet package.

This is all I needed to install and use the CommonOpenFileDialog. (NuGet handled the dependencies)

Install-Package Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack-Shell

For the include line:

using Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack.Dialogs;

Usage:

CommonOpenFileDialog dialog = new CommonOpenFileDialog();
dialog.InitialDirectory = "C:\\Users";
dialog.IsFolderPicker = true;
if (dialog.ShowDialog() == CommonFileDialogResult.Ok)
{
    MessageBox.Show("You selected: " + dialog.FileName);
}

There is a hackish solution using OpenFileDialog where ValidateNames and CheckFileExists are both set to false and FileName is given a mock value to indicate that a directory is selected.

I say hack because it is confusing to users about how to select a folder. They need to be in the desired folder and then just press Open while file name says "Folder Selection."

C# Folder selection dialog

This is based on Select file or folder from the same dialog by Denis Stankovski.

OpenFileDialog folderBrowser = new OpenFileDialog();
// Set validate names and check file exists to false otherwise windows will
// not let you select "Folder Selection."
folderBrowser.ValidateNames = false;
folderBrowser.CheckFileExists = false;
folderBrowser.CheckPathExists = true;
// Always default to Folder Selection.
folderBrowser.FileName = "Folder Selection.";
if (folderBrowser.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
    string folderPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(folderBrowser.FileName);
    // ...
}