diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/FileSystemRazorProject.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/FileSystemRazorProject.cs
index 1d794919b0..bf51f43d02 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/FileSystemRazorProject.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/FileSystemRazorProject.cs
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Diagnostics;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
 
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
                 throw new ArgumentException(Resources.ArgumentCannotBeNullOrEmpty, nameof(root));
             }
 
-            Root = root.TrimEnd('/', '\\');
+            Root = root.Replace('\\', '/').TrimEnd('/');
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -36,10 +35,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
         /// <inheritdoc />
         public override IEnumerable<RazorProjectItem> EnumerateItems(string basePath)
         {
-            EnsureValidPath(basePath);
-
-            Debug.Assert(basePath.StartsWith("/"));
-            var absoluteBasePath = Path.Combine(Root, basePath.Substring(1));
+            var absoluteBasePath = NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(basePath);
 
             var directory = new DirectoryInfo(absoluteBasePath);
             if (!directory.Exists)
@@ -53,17 +49,38 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
                 {
                     var relativePath = file.FullName.Substring(absoluteBasePath.Length).Replace(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, '/');
                     return new FileSystemRazorProjectItem(basePath, relativePath, file);
-                 });
+                });
         }
 
         /// <inheritdoc />
         public override RazorProjectItem GetItem(string path)
         {
-            EnsureValidPath(path);
+            var absolutePath = NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path);
 
-            Debug.Assert(path.StartsWith("/"));
-            var absolutePath = Path.Combine(Root, path.Substring(1));
             return new FileSystemRazorProjectItem("/", path, new FileInfo(absolutePath));
         }
+
+        protected override string NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(string path)
+        {
+            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(path))
+            {
+                throw new ArgumentException(Resources.ArgumentCannotBeNullOrEmpty, nameof(path));
+            }
+
+            var absolutePath = path;
+            if (!absolutePath.StartsWith(Root, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                if (path[0] == '/' || path[0] == '\\')
+                {
+                    path = path.Substring(1);
+                }
+
+                absolutePath = Path.Combine(Root, path);
+            }
+
+            absolutePath = absolutePath.Replace('\\', '/');
+
+            return absolutePath;
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/RazorProject.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/RazorProject.cs
index 536e252090..dbda49932f 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/RazorProject.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution/RazorProject.cs
@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
         /// </remarks>
         public virtual IEnumerable<RazorProjectItem> FindHierarchicalItems(string basePath, string path, string fileName)
         {
-            EnsureValidPath(basePath);
-            EnsureValidPath(path);
+            basePath = NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(basePath);
+            path = NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path);
             if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(fileName))
             {
                 throw new ArgumentException(Resources.ArgumentCannotBeNullOrEmpty, nameof(fileName));
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
         /// Performs validation for paths passed to methods of <see cref="RazorProject"/>.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="path">The path to validate.</param>
-        protected virtual void EnsureValidPath(string path)
+        protected virtual string NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(string path)
         {
             if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(path))
             {
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
             {
                 throw new ArgumentException(Resources.RazorProject_PathMustStartWithForwardSlash, nameof(path));
             }
+
+            return path;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/FileSystemRazorProjectTest.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/FileSystemRazorProjectTest.cs
index d9d21dc1f6..945ea2cbb3 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/FileSystemRazorProjectTest.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/FileSystemRazorProjectTest.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Testing;
 using Xunit;
 
 namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
@@ -12,6 +13,57 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
         private static string TestFolder { get; } =
             Path.Combine(TestProject.GetProjectDirectory(), "TestFiles", "FileSystemRazorProject");
 
+        [Theory]
+        [InlineData(null)]
+        [InlineData("")]
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_ThrowsIfPathIsNullOrEmpty(string path)
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var project = new TestFileSystemRazorProject("C:/some/test/path/root");
+
+            // Act and Assert
+            ExceptionAssert.ThrowsArgumentNullOrEmptyString(() => project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path), "path");
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_NormalizesToAbsolutePath()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var project = new TestFileSystemRazorProject("C:/some/test/path/root");
+
+            // Act
+            var absolutePath = project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath("file.cshtml");
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal("C:/some/test/path/root/file.cshtml", absolutePath);
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_NormalizesToAbsolutePathWithoutForwardSlash()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var project = new TestFileSystemRazorProject("C:/some/test/path/root");
+
+            // Act
+            var absolutePath = project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath("/file.cshtml");
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal("C:/some/test/path/root/file.cshtml", absolutePath);
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_NormalizesToForwardSlashes()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var project = new TestFileSystemRazorProject(@"C:\some\test\path\root");
+
+            // Act
+            var absolutePath = project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(@"something\file.cshtml");
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal("C:/some/test/path/root/something/file.cshtml", absolutePath);
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public void EnumerateItems_DiscoversAllCshtmlFiles()
         {
@@ -104,5 +156,14 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
             // Assert
             Assert.False(file.Exists);
         }
+
+        private class TestFileSystemRazorProject : FileSystemRazorProject
+        {
+            public TestFileSystemRazorProject(string root) : base(root)
+            {
+            }
+
+            public new string NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(string path) => base.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/RazorProjectTest.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/RazorProjectTest.cs
index 6e433de850..0222427e5b 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/RazorProjectTest.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution.Test/RazorProjectTest.cs
@@ -11,30 +11,43 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
 {
     public class RazorProjectTest
     {
+        [Fact]
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_DoesNotModifyPath()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var project = new TestRazorProject(new Dictionary<string, RazorProjectItem>());
+
+            // Act
+            var path = project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath("/Views/Home/Index.cshtml");
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal("/Views/Home/Index.cshtml", path);
+        }
+
         [Theory]
         [InlineData(null)]
         [InlineData("")]
-        public void EnsureValidPath_ThrowsIfPathIsNullOrEmpty(string path)
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_ThrowsIfPathIsNullOrEmpty(string path)
         {
             // Arrange
             var project = new TestRazorProject(new Dictionary<string, RazorProjectItem>());
 
             // Act and Assert
-            ExceptionAssert.ThrowsArgumentNullOrEmptyString(() => project.EnsureValidPath(path), "path");
+            ExceptionAssert.ThrowsArgumentNullOrEmptyString(() => project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path), "path");
         }
 
         [Theory]
         [InlineData("foo")]
         [InlineData("~/foo")]
         [InlineData("\\foo")]
-        public void EnsureValidPath_ThrowsIfPathDoesNotStartWithForwardSlash(string path)
+        public void NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath_ThrowsIfPathDoesNotStartWithForwardSlash(string path)
         {
             // Arrange
             var project = new TestRazorProject(new Dictionary<string, RazorProjectItem>());
 
             // Act and Assert
             ExceptionAssert.ThrowsArgument(
-                () => project.EnsureValidPath(path),
+                () => project.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path),
                 "path",
                 "Path must begin with a forward slash '/'.");
         }
@@ -338,7 +351,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Evolution
                 return item;
             }
 
-            public new void EnsureValidPath(string path) => base.EnsureValidPath(path);
+            public new string NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(string path) => base.NormalizeAndEnsureValidPath(path);
         }
     }
 }