diff --git a/core/api/kotlinx-io-core.api b/core/api/kotlinx-io-core.api
index 8d64da076..f8018144c 100644
--- a/core/api/kotlinx-io-core.api
+++ b/core/api/kotlinx-io-core.api
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ public abstract interface class kotlinx/io/files/FileSystem {
 	public static synthetic fun delete$default (Lkotlinx/io/files/FileSystem;Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;ZILjava/lang/Object;)V
 	public abstract fun exists (Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;)Z
 	public abstract fun metadataOrNull (Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;)Lkotlinx/io/files/FileMetadata;
+	public abstract fun resolve (Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;)Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;
 	public abstract fun sink (Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;Z)Lkotlinx/io/RawSink;
 	public static synthetic fun sink$default (Lkotlinx/io/files/FileSystem;Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;ZILjava/lang/Object;)Lkotlinx/io/RawSink;
 	public abstract fun source (Lkotlinx/io/files/Path;)Lkotlinx/io/RawSource;
diff --git a/core/apple/src/files/FileSystemApple.kt b/core/apple/src/files/FileSystemApple.kt
index 869ea7c53..f7c07dca0 100644
--- a/core/apple/src/files/FileSystemApple.kt
+++ b/core/apple/src/files/FileSystemApple.kt
@@ -46,3 +46,12 @@ internal actual fun mkdirImpl(path: String) {
         throw IOException("mkdir failed: ${strerror(errno)?.toKString()}")
     }
 }
+
+internal actual fun realpathImpl(path: String): String {
+    val res = realpath(path, null) ?: throw IllegalStateException()
+    try {
+        return res.toKString()
+    } finally {
+        free(res)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/common/src/files/FileSystem.kt b/core/common/src/files/FileSystem.kt
index 0b3c5eb35..468a94317 100644
--- a/core/common/src/files/FileSystem.kt
+++ b/core/common/src/files/FileSystem.kt
@@ -129,6 +129,19 @@ public sealed interface FileSystem {
      * @param path the path to get the metadata for.
      */
     public fun metadataOrNull(path: Path): FileMetadata?
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an absolute path to the same file or directory the [path] is pointing to.
+     * All symbolic links are solved, extra path separators and references to current (`.`) or
+     * parent (`..`) directories are removed.
+     * If the [path] is a relative path then it'll be resolved against current working directory.
+     * If there is no file or directory to which the [path] is pointing to then [FileNotFoundException] will be thrown.
+     *
+     * @param path the path to resolve.
+     * @return a resolved path.
+     * @throws FileNotFoundException if there is no file or directory corresponding to the specified path.
+     */
+    public fun resolve(path: Path): Path
 }
 
 internal abstract class SystemFileSystemImpl : FileSystem
diff --git a/core/common/test/files/SmokeFileTest.kt b/core/common/test/files/SmokeFileTest.kt
index fe046a2ff..d6309c8ba 100644
--- a/core/common/test/files/SmokeFileTest.kt
+++ b/core/common/test/files/SmokeFileTest.kt
@@ -336,7 +336,40 @@ class SmokeFileTest {
         }
         assertEquals("second third",
             SystemFileSystem.source(path).buffered().use { it.readString() })
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun resolve() {
+        assertFailsWith<FileNotFoundException>("Non-existing path resolution should fail") {
+            SystemFileSystem.resolve(createTempPath())
+        }
+
+        val cwd = SystemFileSystem.resolve(Path("."))
+        val parentRel = Path("..")
+        assertEquals(cwd.parent, SystemFileSystem.resolve(parentRel))
 
+        assertEquals(cwd, SystemFileSystem.resolve(cwd),
+            "Absolute path resolution should not alter the path")
+
+        // root
+        //   |-> a -> b
+        //   |-> c -> d
+        val root = createTempPath()
+        SystemFileSystem.createDirectories(Path(root, "a", "b"))
+        val tgt = Path(root, "c", "d")
+        SystemFileSystem.createDirectories(tgt)
+
+        val src = Path(root, "a", "..", "a", ".", "b", "..", "..", "c", ".", "d")
+        try {
+            // root/a/../a/./b/../../c/./d -> root/c/d
+            assertEquals(SystemFileSystem.resolve(tgt), SystemFileSystem.resolve(src))
+        } finally {
+            // TODO: remove as soon as recursive file removal is implemented
+            SystemFileSystem.delete(Path(root, "a", "b"))
+            SystemFileSystem.delete(Path(root, "a"))
+            SystemFileSystem.delete(Path(root, "c", "d"))
+            SystemFileSystem.delete(Path(root, "c"))
+        }
     }
 
     private fun constructAbsolutePath(vararg parts: String): String {
diff --git a/core/js/src/files/FileSystemJs.kt b/core/js/src/files/FileSystemJs.kt
index a19cc5ecc..7378510aa 100644
--- a/core/js/src/files/FileSystemJs.kt
+++ b/core/js/src/files/FileSystemJs.kt
@@ -115,6 +115,12 @@ public actual val SystemFileSystem: FileSystem = object : SystemFileSystemImpl()
         check(buffer !== null) { "Module 'buffer' was not found" }
         return FileSink(path, append)
     }
+
+    override fun resolve(path: Path): Path {
+        check(fs !== null) { "Module 'fs' was not found" }
+        if (!exists(path)) throw FileNotFoundException(path.path)
+        return Path(fs.realpathSync.native(path.path) as String)
+    }
 }
 
 public actual val SystemTemporaryDirectory: Path
diff --git a/core/jvm/src/files/FileSystemJvm.kt b/core/jvm/src/files/FileSystemJvm.kt
index 7463d6248..0485dfc35 100644
--- a/core/jvm/src/files/FileSystemJvm.kt
+++ b/core/jvm/src/files/FileSystemJvm.kt
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@ public actual val SystemFileSystem: FileSystem = object : SystemFileSystemImpl()
     override fun source(path: Path): RawSource = FileInputStream(path.file).asSource()
 
     override fun sink(path: Path, append: Boolean): RawSink = FileOutputStream(path.file, append).asSink()
+
+    override fun resolve(path: Path): Path {
+        if (!path.file.exists()) throw FileNotFoundException(path.file.absolutePath)
+        return Path(path.file.canonicalFile)
+    }
 }
 
 @JvmField
diff --git a/core/mingw/src/files/FileSystemMingw.kt b/core/mingw/src/files/FileSystemMingw.kt
index 5c027ba24..7e98bc827 100644
--- a/core/mingw/src/files/FileSystemMingw.kt
+++ b/core/mingw/src/files/FileSystemMingw.kt
@@ -10,10 +10,7 @@ package kotlinx.io.files
 import kotlinx.cinterop.*
 import kotlinx.io.IOException
 import platform.posix.*
-import platform.windows.GetLastError
-import platform.windows.MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING
-import platform.windows.MoveFileExA
-import platform.windows.PathIsRelativeA
+import platform.windows.*
 
 private const val WindowsPathSeparator: Char = '\\'
 
@@ -49,3 +46,14 @@ internal actual fun mkdirImpl(path: String) {
         throw IOException("mkdir failed: ${strerror(errno)?.toKString()}")
     }
 }
+
+private const val MAX_PATH_LENGTH = 32767
+
+internal actual fun realpathImpl(path: String): String {
+    memScoped {
+        val buffer = allocArray<CHARVar>(MAX_PATH_LENGTH)
+        val len = GetFullPathNameA(path, MAX_PATH_LENGTH.convert(), buffer, null)
+        if (len == 0u) throw IllegalStateException()
+        return buffer.toKString()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/native/src/files/FileSystemNative.kt b/core/native/src/files/FileSystemNative.kt
index 18551b711..bd7020603 100644
--- a/core/native/src/files/FileSystemNative.kt
+++ b/core/native/src/files/FileSystemNative.kt
@@ -80,6 +80,11 @@ public actual val SystemFileSystem: FileSystem = object : SystemFileSystemImpl()
         }
     }
 
+    override fun resolve(path: Path): Path {
+        if (!exists(path)) throw FileNotFoundException(path.path)
+        return Path(realpathImpl(path.path))
+    }
+
     override fun source(path: Path): RawSource {
         val openFile: CPointer<FILE>? = fopen(path.path, "rb")
         if (openFile == null) {
@@ -102,6 +107,8 @@ internal expect fun atomicMoveImpl(source: Path, destination: Path)
 
 internal expect fun mkdirImpl(path: String)
 
+internal expect fun realpathImpl(path: String): String
+
 public actual open class FileNotFoundException actual constructor(
     message: String?
 ) : IOException(message)
diff --git a/core/unix/src/files/FileSystemUnix.kt b/core/unix/src/files/FileSystemUnix.kt
index a5ebb618a..a26fb4975 100644
--- a/core/unix/src/files/FileSystemUnix.kt
+++ b/core/unix/src/files/FileSystemUnix.kt
@@ -12,10 +12,7 @@ import kotlinx.cinterop.UnsafeNumber
 import kotlinx.cinterop.convert
 import kotlinx.cinterop.toKString
 import kotlinx.io.IOException
-import platform.posix.errno
-import platform.posix.mkdir
-import platform.posix.rename
-import platform.posix.strerror
+import platform.posix.*
 
 internal actual fun atomicMoveImpl(source: Path, destination: Path) {
     if (rename(source.path, destination.path) != 0) {
@@ -23,6 +20,15 @@ internal actual fun atomicMoveImpl(source: Path, destination: Path) {
     }
 }
 
+internal actual fun realpathImpl(path: String): String {
+    val result = realpath(path, null) ?: throw IllegalStateException()
+    try {
+        return result.toKString()
+    } finally {
+        free(result)
+    }
+}
+
 internal actual fun mkdirImpl(path: String) {
     if (mkdir(path, PermissionAllowAll.convert()) != 0) {
         throw IOException("mkdir failed: ${strerror(errno)?.toKString()}")
diff --git a/core/wasm/src/files/FileSystemWasm.kt b/core/wasm/src/files/FileSystemWasm.kt
index cfa7547ab..23da8784a 100644
--- a/core/wasm/src/files/FileSystemWasm.kt
+++ b/core/wasm/src/files/FileSystemWasm.kt
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ public actual val SystemFileSystem: FileSystem = object : SystemFileSystemImpl()
 
     override fun metadataOrNull(path: Path): FileMetadata = unsupported()
 
+    override fun resolve(path: Path): Path = unsupported()
 }
 
 public actual open class FileNotFoundException actual constructor(