diff --git a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/folder_based_builder/folder_based_builder.py b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/folder_based_builder/folder_based_builder.py
index 6c96d402aa1..e2277ba24e4 100644
--- a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/folder_based_builder/folder_based_builder.py
+++ b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/folder_based_builder/folder_based_builder.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 
 import pandas as pd
 import pyarrow as pa
-import pyarrow.compute as pc
 import pyarrow.json as paj
 
 import datasets
@@ -310,13 +309,10 @@ def _generate_examples(self, files, metadata_files, split_name, add_metadata, ad
                                 )
                                 pa_metadata_table = self._read_metadata(downloaded_metadata_file)
                                 pa_file_name_array = pa_metadata_table["file_name"]
-                                pa_file_name_array = pc.replace_substring(
-                                    pa_file_name_array, pattern="\\", replacement="/"
-                                )
                                 pa_metadata_table = pa_metadata_table.drop(["file_name"])
                                 metadata_dir = os.path.dirname(metadata_file)
                                 metadata_dict = {
-                                    file_name: sample_metadata
+                                    os.path.normpath(file_name).replace("\\", "/"): sample_metadata
                                     for file_name, sample_metadata in zip(
                                         pa_file_name_array.to_pylist(), pa_table_to_pylist(pa_metadata_table)
                                     )
@@ -379,13 +375,10 @@ def _generate_examples(self, files, metadata_files, split_name, add_metadata, ad
                                     )
                                     pa_metadata_table = self._read_metadata(downloaded_metadata_file)
                                     pa_file_name_array = pa_metadata_table["file_name"]
-                                    pa_file_name_array = pc.replace_substring(
-                                        pa_file_name_array, pattern="\\", replacement="/"
-                                    )
                                     pa_metadata_table = pa_metadata_table.drop(["file_name"])
                                     metadata_dir = os.path.dirname(downloaded_metadata_file)
                                     metadata_dict = {
-                                        file_name: sample_metadata
+                                        os.path.normpath(file_name).replace("\\", "/"): sample_metadata
                                         for file_name, sample_metadata in zip(
                                             pa_file_name_array.to_pylist(), pa_table_to_pylist(pa_metadata_table)
                                         )
diff --git a/tests/packaged_modules/test_folder_based_builder.py b/tests/packaged_modules/test_folder_based_builder.py
index 34fe3a62db7..5dbc59b3fca 100644
--- a/tests/packaged_modules/test_folder_based_builder.py
+++ b/tests/packaged_modules/test_folder_based_builder.py
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def data_files_with_one_split_and_metadata(tmp_path, auto_text_file):
         """\
         {"file_name": "file.txt", "additional_feature": "Dummy file"}
         {"file_name": "file2.txt", "additional_feature": "Second dummy file"}
-        {"file_name": "subdir/file3.txt", "additional_feature": "Third dummy file"}
+        {"file_name": "./subdir/file3.txt", "additional_feature": "Third dummy file"}
         """
     )
     with open(metadata_filename, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f: