What is UNC path?

UNC stands for Universal/Uniform Naming Convention. A UNC path describes the location of a volume, directory, or file.

UNC is a naming convention used primarily to specify and map network drives in Microsoft Windows. UNC names are most commonly used to reach file servers or printers on a LAN.

The format for a UNC path is \\server\volume\directory\file and is not case-sensitive. For example:

\\Shared1_svr\Shared1\WGroups\Network\Orders.xls

Rather than describe the location of a file or directory by drive letter, the Network Group will typically communicate a UNC path to describe the actual location of a file or directory. Windows drive letter mappings are arbitrary, whereas a UNC path is specific and applies to all operating systems.

Reference URL: http://www.uwplatt.edu/oit/terms/uncpath.html