diff --git a/include/sourcepp/string/String.h b/include/sourcepp/string/String.h
index 4ea03b62e..f4016bf43 100644
--- a/include/sourcepp/string/String.h
+++ b/include/sourcepp/string/String.h
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ void toUpper(std::string& input);
 
 [[nodiscard]] std::string padNumber(int number, int width, char pad = '0');
 
-void normalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripTerminalSlashes = true);
+void normalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripSlashPrefix = false, bool stripSlashSuffix = true);
 
-void denormalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripTerminalSlashes = true);
+void denormalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripSlashPrefix = false, bool stripSlashSuffix = true);
 
 } // namespace sourcepp::string
diff --git a/src/sourcepp/string/String.cpp b/src/sourcepp/string/String.cpp
index d4da221f5..748bf299d 100644
--- a/src/sourcepp/string/String.cpp
+++ b/src/sourcepp/string/String.cpp
@@ -71,26 +71,22 @@ std::string string::padNumber(int number, int width, char pad) {
 	return std::string(width - std::min<std::string::size_type>(width, numStr.length()), pad) + numStr;
 }
 
-void string::normalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripTerminalSlashes) {
+void string::normalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripSlashPrefix, bool stripSlashSuffix) {
 	std::replace(path.begin(), path.end(), '\\', '/');
-	if (stripTerminalSlashes) {
-		if (path.starts_with('/')) {
-			path = path.substr(1);
-		}
-		if (path.ends_with('/')) {
-			path.pop_back();
-		}
+	if (stripSlashPrefix && path.starts_with('/')) {
+		path = path.substr(1);
+	}
+	if (stripSlashSuffix && path.ends_with('/')) {
+		path.pop_back();
 	}
 }
 
-void string::denormalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripTerminalSlashes) {
+void string::denormalizeSlashes(std::string& path, bool stripSlashPrefix, bool stripSlashSuffix) {
 	std::replace(path.begin(), path.end(), '/', '\\');
-	if (stripTerminalSlashes) {
-		if (path.starts_with('\\')) {
-			path = path.substr(1);
-		}
-		if (path.ends_with('\\')) {
-			path.pop_back();
-		}
+	if (stripSlashPrefix && path.starts_with('\\')) {
+		path = path.substr(1);
+	}
+	if (stripSlashSuffix && path.ends_with('\\')) {
+		path.pop_back();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/BSP.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/BSP.cpp
index 84a9779e3..621243f59 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/BSP.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/BSP.cpp
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> BSP::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 
 		Entry entry = createNewEntry();
 		entry.path = fileInfo->filename;
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!bsp->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> BSP::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		entry.crc32 = fileInfo->crc;
 
 		auto parentDir = std::filesystem::path{entry.path}.parent_path().string();
-		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir, true);
 		if (!bsp->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(parentDir);
 		}
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/GCF.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/GCF.cpp
index a0b87524d..0bc60f50e 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/GCF.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/GCF.cpp
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> GCF::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 				dirname.insert(0, current_filename_entry.filename);
 			}
 			Entry gcfEntry = createNewEntry();
-			string::normalizeSlashes(dirname);
+			string::normalizeSlashes(dirname, true);
 			if (!gcf->isCaseSensitive()) {
 				string::toLower(dirname);
 				string::toLower(entry.filename);
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/GMA.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/GMA.cpp
index 0713ce108..ebb7bdb94 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/GMA.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/GMA.cpp
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> GMA::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		Entry entry = createNewEntry();
 
 		reader.read(entry.path);
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!gma->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> GMA::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 	}
 	for (const auto& entry : entries) {
 		auto parentDir = std::filesystem::path{entry.path}.parent_path().string();
-		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir, true);
 		if (!gma->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(parentDir);
 		}
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/GRP.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/GRP.cpp
index 892629db0..5274880c7 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/GRP.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/GRP.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> GRP::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		Entry entry = createNewEntry();
 
 		reader.read(entry.path, GRP_FILENAME_MAX_SIZE);
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!grp->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/PAK.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/PAK.cpp
index a29483686..1f67f2b20 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/PAK.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/PAK.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> PAK::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		Entry entry = createNewEntry();
 
 		reader.read(entry.path, PAK_FILENAME_MAX_SIZE);
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!pak->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> PAK::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		entry.length = reader.read<uint32_t>();
 
 		auto parentDir = std::filesystem::path{entry.path}.parent_path().string();
-		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir, true);
 		if (!pak->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(parentDir);
 		}
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/PCK.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/PCK.cpp
index 24e7ad994..cc634184b 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/PCK.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/PCK.cpp
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> PCK::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		if (entry.path.starts_with(PCK_PATH_PREFIX)) {
 			entry.path = entry.path.substr(PCK_PATH_PREFIX.length());
 		}
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!pck->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> PCK::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		}
 
 		auto parentDir = std::filesystem::path{entry.path}.parent_path().string();
-		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir, true);
 		if (!pck->entries.contains(parentDir)) {
 			pck->entries[parentDir] = {};
 		}
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/VPK.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/VPK.cpp
index 9ce16e171..d84cc7e4a 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/VPK.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/VPK.cpp
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> VPK::createFromDirectoryProcedural(const std::string&
 		std::string entryPath;
 		try {
 			entryPath = std::filesystem::absolute(file.path()).string().substr(std::filesystem::absolute(contentPath).string().length());
-			string::normalizeSlashes(entryPath);
+			string::normalizeSlashes(entryPath, true);
 		} catch (const std::exception&) {
 			continue; // Likely a Unicode error, unsupported filename
 		}
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ bool VPK::bake(const std::string& outputDir_, const Callback& callback) {
 	// Helper
 	const auto getArchiveFilename = [this](const std::string& filename_, int archiveIndex) {
 		std::string out{filename_ + '_' + string::padNumber(archiveIndex, 3) + (::isFPX(this) ? FPX_EXTENSION : VPK_EXTENSION).data()};
-		string::normalizeSlashes(out, false);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(out);
 		return out;
 	};
 
diff --git a/src/vpkpp/format/ZIP.cpp b/src/vpkpp/format/ZIP.cpp
index 1fca47403..dde6ec3f7 100644
--- a/src/vpkpp/format/ZIP.cpp
+++ b/src/vpkpp/format/ZIP.cpp
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> ZIP::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 
 		Entry entry = createNewEntry();
 		entry.path = fileInfo->filename;
-		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(entry.path, true);
 		if (!zip->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(entry.path);
 		}
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<PackFile> ZIP::open(const std::string& path, PackFileOptions opt
 		entry.crc32 = fileInfo->crc;
 
 		auto parentDir = std::filesystem::path{entry.path}.parent_path().string();
-		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir);
+		string::normalizeSlashes(parentDir, true);
 		if (!zip->isCaseSensitive()) {
 			string::toLower(parentDir);
 		}