Is it possible to update layer source in QGIS

Question

I've loaded a few shapefiles as layers in QGIS, and I'd like to make a duplicate of the project and all associated shapefiles into a single directory. However, all of the layer sources are still pointing to the original shapefiles.

Is there an easy way to update the paths to the duplicated shapefiles?

Answer 1

This can be done by editing the project file in a text editor.

1. Open the .QGS project file in a text editor, (e.g. Notepad++).
2. Update all the necessary paths.
3. Save changes ("Save as" a new file name if you want to make sure the original isn't damaged) and exit the text editor.