diff --git a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppForm.jsx b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppForm.jsx
index 17b794dbf..650307735 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppForm.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppForm.jsx
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { getSystemName } from 'utils/systems';
 import FormSchema from './AppFormSchema';
 import {
+  checkAndSetDefaultTargetPath,
   isTargetPathField,
   getInputFieldFromTargetPathField,
   getQueueMaxMinutes,
   getMaxMinutesValidation,
   getNodeCountValidation,
   getCoresPerNodeValidation,
-  getTargetPathFieldName,
   updateValuesForQueue,
 } from './AppFormUtils';
 import DataFilesSelectModal from '../../DataFiles/DataFilesModals/DataFilesSelectModal';
@@ -469,11 +469,14 @@ export const AppSchemaForm = ({ app }) => {
                 return {
                   name: k,
                   sourceUrl: !isTargetPathField(k) ? v : null,
-                  targetDir: isTargetPathField(k) ? v : null,
+                  targetDir: isTargetPathField(k)
+                    ? checkAndSetDefaultTargetPath(v)
+                    : null,
                 };
               })
               .filter((fileInput) => fileInput.sourceUrl || fileInput.targetDir) // filter out any empty values
-              .reduce((acc, entry) => { // merge input field and targetPath fields into one.
+              .reduce((acc, entry) => {
+                // merge input field and targetPath fields into one.
                 const key = getInputFieldFromTargetPathField(entry.name);
                 if (!acc[key]) {
                   acc[key] = {};
@@ -567,22 +570,22 @@ export const AppSchemaForm = ({ app }) => {
                     {Object.entries(appFields.fileInputs).map(
                       ([name, field]) => {
                         // TODOv3 handle fileInputArrays https://jira.tacc.utexas.edu/browse/WP-81
-                        return (
-                          isTargetPathField(name)?                  
-                            <FormField
-                               {...field}
-                               name={`fileInputs.${name}`}
-                               placeholder="Target Path Name"
-                               key={`fileInputs.${name}`}
-                             />:                
-                             <FormField
-                                {...field}
-                                name={`fileInputs.${name}`}
-                                tapisFile
-                                SelectModal={DataFilesSelectModal}
-                                placeholder="Browse Data Files"
-                                key={`fileInputs.${name}`}
-                              />
+                        return isTargetPathField(name) ? (
+                          <FormField
+                            {...field}
+                            name={`fileInputs.${name}`}
+                            placeholder="Target Path Name"
+                            key={`fileInputs.${name}`}
+                          />
+                        ) : (
+                          <FormField
+                            {...field}
+                            name={`fileInputs.${name}`}
+                            tapisFile
+                            SelectModal={DataFilesSelectModal}
+                            placeholder="Browse Data Files"
+                            key={`fileInputs.${name}`}
+                          />
                         );
                       }
                     )}
diff --git a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormSchema.js b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormSchema.js
index 310b61c4a..a2e9c53b2 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormSchema.js
+++ b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormSchema.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as Yup from 'yup';
 import {
-  getTargetPathFieldName
+  checkAndSetDefaultTargetPath,
+  getTargetPathFieldName,
 } from './AppFormUtils';
 
 const FormSchema = (app) => {
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ const FormSchema = (app) => {
       input.sourceUrl === null || typeof input.sourceUrl === 'undefined'
         ? ''
         : input.sourceUrl;
-    
+
     // Add targetDir for all sourceUrl
     const targetPathName = getTargetPathFieldName(input.name);
     appFields.schema.fileInputs[targetPathName] = Yup.string();
@@ -148,15 +149,14 @@ const FormSchema = (app) => {
     appFields.schema.fileInputs[targetPathName] = false;
     appFields.fileInputs[targetPathName] = {
       label: 'Target Path for ' + input.name,
-      description: 'The target path is the location to which data are copied from the input. Empty target path or \'*\' indicates, the simple directory or file name from the input path is automatically assign to the target path.',
+      description:
+        "The target path is the location to which data are copied from the input. Empty target path or '*' indicates, the simple directory or file name from the input path is automatically assign to the target path.",
       required: false,
       readOnly: false,
-      type: 'text'
+      type: 'text',
     };
     appFields.defaults.fileInputs[targetPathName] =
-      input.targetPath === null || typeof input.targetPath === 'undefined'
-        ? '*'
-        : input.targetPath;    
+      checkAndSetDefaultTargetPath(input.targetPath);
   });
   return appFields;
 };
diff --git a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormUtils.js b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormUtils.js
index b0469348d..1b5b30c7e 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormUtils.js
+++ b/client/src/components/Applications/AppForm/AppFormUtils.js
@@ -195,8 +195,29 @@ export const isTargetPathField = (inputFieldName) => {
  *
  * @function
  * @param {String} targetPathFieldName
- * @returns {String} actual field name 
+ * @returns {String} actual field name
  */
 export const getInputFieldFromTargetPathField = (targetPathFieldName) => {
-  return targetPathFieldName.replace(TARGET_PATH_FIELD_PREFIX,'');
+  return targetPathFieldName.replace(TARGET_PATH_FIELD_PREFIX, '');
+};
+
+/**
+ * Sets the default value if target path is not set.
+ *
+ * @function
+ * @param {String} targetPathFieldValue
+ * @returns {String} target path value
+ */
+export const checkAndSetDefaultTargetPath = (targetPathFieldValue) => {
+  if (targetPathFieldValue === null || targetPathFieldValue === undefined) {
+    return '*';
+  }
+
+  targetPathFieldValue = targetPathFieldValue.trim();
+
+  if (targetPathFieldValue.trim() === '') {
+    return '*';
+  }
+
+  return targetPathFieldValue;
 };