In the Windows command prompt (CMD), we use the cd command to change from one directory to another. However, it only changes the path inside the current drive by default.
If you want to change to a different drive in CMD, you need to use the /d switch.
cd /d D:For example, I am working on the command prompt, inside the C:\Users\user1 folder. Now I want to move into a folder called data which is in the D: drive.
In the above screenshot, you can see that the command didn’t work. The solution is to use the /d switch.
Alternatively, simply enter the drive letter followed by a colon, as follows:
D:However, this method only changes to the root of the drive. If you want to go to a folder, you have to use the CD command.
As you use Windows, there are times you will need to execute commands in the Command Prompt (CMD) to perform certain tasks. There are commands that will only work when they are executed in the right directory. This short guide will show you how to change the directory or drive in CMD on Windows 11.
The commands to change directory or drive can also be used in the Windows Terminal (a new command-line tools and shells similar to CMD) in Windows 11.
Change directory or drive in Command Prompt
In Command Prompt, you can use the CD command to change the current directory to any other directory you want. This is provided if you have access to the directory and if the directory you want to change to does exist.
For example, the command below will change the current directory to “C:\test” in CMD.
cd C:\test
If the directory or path name contains spaces, it’s recommended to use quotes around the directory. For example, the command below will change the directory to “C:\New folder” in CMD.
cd "C:\New Folder"
To change the current directory to a different drive in CMD, simply enter the drive letter. For example, the command below will change to D: drive.
d:
Tip: To view a list of all folders (sub-directories) in the current directory in CMD, enter “dir” in Command Prompt.
dir
Can’t change directory in CMD
If the CD command does not work to change directory or drive in CMD, it is because CD is usually used for changing directory in the same drive. If you want to change the directory to a different drive, for example, from C: to D: drive, just type D: in the command prompt.
D:
After changing the drive, you can then continue using the CD command to change the directory in that drive in CMD.
Alternatively, you can force use CD with a switch “/d” to tell the command prompt you are switching to another drive using the CD command. For example, the command below will change from any directory or drive to “D:\folder\sample” using CD command.
cd /d d:\folder\sample
The system cannot find the path specified error in CMD
Note that if the directory you are changing to does not exist, command prompt will return an error that says “The system cannot find the path specified“. Check the path name and try again.
Unable to change directory in CMD because “Access is denied”
If you receive the “Access is denied” error when you try to CD to a directory, it means that you do not have the privileges required to access the folder or directory. If you are an administrator in the system and you do own the folder, take ownership of the folder and try again. Read: How to Take Ownership of a File, Folder or Drive in Windows 11.
Change default directory in CMD on Windows 11
By default, if you open Command Prompt from the Start menu or Run window, it will usually open in your Windows profile directory which is something like C:\users\alvin. Or, if you run CMD as administrator, it will always start in C:\Windows\system32.
There is no setting that allows you to change the default directory if you start CMD from Start or Run. However, there is a workaround to force CMD to start in any directory you want it to. You can create a shortcut pointing to cmd.exe and configure the Start in field to any directory you want the command prompt to start in. Here’s how to do it.
First, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select New > Shortcut to create a shortcut.
In the Create Shortcut wizard, enter the path to cmd.exe, in most cases, it should be in “C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe“. Change the C: drive if your Windows is installed on a different drive. Click Next to continue. Give your shortcut any name you like and click Finish to complete the wizard.
Next, right-click the newly created shortcut and select Properties. Then, go to the Shortcut tab. In the Start in field, enter the default directory where you want CMD to start in when you open this shortcut. Click OK to save the changes.
Whenever you open CMD through this shortcut, Command Prompt will automatically start in the directory you’ve entered in the “Start in” field earlier.
Last Updated :
30 Sep, 2020
Cd is the abbreviation or synonym for chdir. It is a command found inside the Windows Command Processor (cmd) that allows for change of the current working directory of a shell instance. The CWD (Current Working Directory) is a path (of a directory) inside the file system, where the shell is currently working. The current working directory is essential for resolving relative paths. Cd is a generic command found in the Command Interpreter of most operating systems.
Description of the Command :
Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
CHDIR [/D] [drive:][path] CHDIR [..] CD [/D] [drive:][path] CD [..] .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory.
Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.
Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.
Use the /D switch to change the current drive in addition to changing the current directory for a drive.
- Some of the output is truncated due to its large length.
- In order to obtain the above text execute the cd /? command on cmd.
- It should be noted that chdir is an alias for cd, and therefore can be replaced for all of its occurrences.
Using the Command :
- Displaying the Current Working Directory :
Displaying the current working directory is not generally not required on cmd. This is because the default prompt in cmd displays the Current drive and path (CWD) along with the greater than sign ( > ) at all times ($P$G code). But for the sake of completeness, we would be describing it as well. To display the Current Working Directory, execute the cd command without any arguments.Syntax :
cd
Apparent from the above output, it is not necessary for us to print the cwd as it is already being displayed by the prompt. Throughout the article, we will be using C:\Users as our CWD.
- Changing the CWD :
We can change the Current Working Directory to different paths in the system. The following are the options –1. To a Directory of Current Drive :
To change the working directory, execute command cd followed by an absolute or relative path of the directory you are wanting to become the CWD. Where the path should qualify the following criteria –- The Path should be of a Directory.
- The Directory should be existing.
- Path can be absolute or relative. If a relative path is used, then the path should be relative to the CWD.
Syntax :
cd [Path]
2. To a Directory of Another Drive :
To change the working directory to another drive, execute command cd /D followed by a path to a directory. The path should qualify the following criteria –- The path should be absolute.
- The path should contain the drive letter followed by a drive qualifier (DRIVE_LETTER & COLON).
Syntax :
cd /d [Path]
3. An additional way to change the CWD to another drive without the usage of the cd command is to execute the drive letter followed by a colon.
Syntax :
(Drive_Letter):
All Windows-related issues might be solved with a program named Command Prompt (CMD). You can feed the Command Prompt with executable commands to perform various administrative functions. For example, the cd or change directory command is used to change the directory path where you are working currently. For instance, the command cd\windows\system32 will switch the directory path to the System32 subfolder within the Windows folder. The Windows cd command is also called chdir, and it can be employed in both, shell scripts and batch files. In this article, you will learn how to change the directory in CMD on Windows 10.
Table of Contents
What are Windows CWD and CD Command?
The Current Working Directory abbreviated as CWD is the path where the shell is currently working. The CWD is mandatory to retain its relative paths. The command interpreter of your Operating System holds a generic command called cd command Windows.
Type the command cd /? in the Command Prompt window to display the name of the current directory or changes in the current directory. After entering the command you will get the following information in Command Prompt (CMD).
CHDIR [/D] [drive:][path] CHDIR [..] CD [/D] [drive:][path] CD [..]
- This .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory.
- Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.
- Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.
- Use the /D switch to change the current drive /in addition to changing the current directory for a drive.
In addition to Command Prompt, Windows users can also use PowerShell to execute various commands as explained by Microsoft.
Continue reading below to modify/switch to the directories or to a different file path.
Method 1: Change Directory By Path
Use the command cd + full directory path to access a specific directory or folder. Regardless of which directory you are in, this would take you straight to the desired folder or directory. Follow the given steps to do so:
1. Open the directory or folder which you want to navigate in CMD.
2. Right-click on the address bar and then select Copy address, as shown.
3. Now, press the Windows key, type cmd, and hit Enter to launch Command Prompt.
4. In CMD, type cd (the path you copied) and press Enter as depicted.
This will open the directory which path you copied in Command Prompt.
Method 2: Change Directory By Name
Another way for how to change the directory in CMD Windows 10 is to use the cd command to launch a directory level where you are currently working:
1. Open Command Prompt as shown in Method 1.
2. Type cd (directory you want to go to) and hit Enter.
Note: Add the directory name with the cd command to go to that respective directory. e.g. Desktop
Also Read: Delete a Folder or File using Command Prompt (CMD)
Method 3: Go To Parent Directory
When you need to go one folder up, use the cd.. command. Here’s how to change the parent directory in CMD on Windows 10.
1. Open Command Prompt as earlier.
2. Type cd.. and press Enter key.
Note: Here, you will be redirected from the System folder to the Common Files folder.
Method 4: Go To Root Directory
There are many commands to change the directory in CMD Windows 10. One such command is to change to the root directory:
Note: You can access the root directory irrespective of which directory you belong to.
1. Open Command Prompt, type cd /, and hit Enter.
2. Here, the root directory for Program Files is drive C, which is where the cd/ command has taken you.
Also Read: How to create empty files from the command prompt (cmd)
Method 5: Change Drive
This is one of the easiest methods on how to change the directory in CMD on Windows 10. If you want to change the drive in CMD then, you can do so by typing a simple command. Follow the steps listed below to do so.
1. Go to Command Prompt as instructed in Method 1.
2. Type the drive letter followed by : (colon) to access another drive and press Enter key.
Note: Here, we are changing from drive C: to drive D: and then, to drive E:
Method 6: Change Drive & Directory Together
If you want to change the drive and directory together then, there is a particular command to do so.
1. Navigate to Command Prompt as mentioned in Method 1.
2. Type the cd / command to access the root directory.
3. Add the drive letter followed by : (colon) to launch the target drive.
For Example, type cd /D D:\Photoshop CC and press Enter key to go from drive C: to Photoshop CC directory in D drive.
Also Read: [SOLVED] The file or Directory is corrupted and unreadable
Method 7: Open Directory from Address Bar
Here’s how to change the directory in CMD on Windows 10 directly from the address bar:
1. Click on the address bar of the directory you want to open.
2. Write cmd and press Enter key, as shown.
3. The chosen directory will open in Command Prompt.
Method 8: View Inside the Directory
You can also use commands to view inside the directory, as follows:
1. In Command Prompt, use command dir to view the subfolders and subdirectories in your current directory.
2. Here, we can see all directories within C:\Program Files folder.
What happens when Command Extensions are enabled?
If Command Extensions are enabled, CHDIR changes as follows:
- The current directory string is converted to use the same case as the on-disk names. So, CD C:\TEMP would actually set the current directory to C:\Temp if that is the case on disk.
- CHDIR command does not treat spaces as delimiters, so it is possible to use CD into a subdirectory name that contains a space even without surrounding it with quotes.
For example: command: cd \winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu
is same as the command: cd “\winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu”
Recommended: How to Fix Git Merge Error
We hope this guide was helpful and you were able to change the directory in CMD Windows 10. Let us know which cd command Windows you think is more useful. Also, if you have any queries or suggestions regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.
Программистам часто приходится работать в консоли — например, чтобы запустить тестирование проекта, закоммитить новый код на Github или отредактировать документ в vim. Всё это происходит так часто, что все основные действия с файлами становится быстрее и привычнее выполнять в консоли. Рассказываем и показываем основные команды, которые помогут ускорить работу в терминале под OS Windows.
Для начала нужно установить терминал или запустить командную строку, встроенную в Windows — для этого нажмите Win+R и введите cmd. Терминал часто встречается и прямо в редакторах кода, например, в Visual Studio Code.
Чтобы ввести команду в консоль, нужно напечатать её и нажать клавишу Enter.
Содержимое текущей папки — dir
Выводит список файлов и папок в текущей папке.
C:\content-server>dir
Том в устройстве C имеет метку SYSTEM
Серийный номер тома: 2C89-ED9D
Содержимое папки C:\content-server
06.10.2020 00:41 <DIR> .
06.10.2020 00:37 <DIR> .circleci
16.07.2020 16:04 268 .editorconfig
16.07.2020 16:04 10 .eslintignore
16.07.2020 16:04 482 .eslintrc
06.10.2020 00:37 <DIR> .github
16.07.2020 16:04 77 .gitignore
06.10.2020 00:41 <DIR> assets
06.10.2020 00:41 <DIR> gulp
16.07.2020 16:10 379 gulpfile.js
16.07.2020 16:10 296 320 package-lock.json
16.07.2020 16:10 751 package.json
16.07.2020 16:04 509 README.md
Открыть файл
Чтобы открыть файл в текущей папке, введите его полное имя с расширением. Например, blog.txt или setup.exe.
Перейти в другую папку — cd
Команда cd без аргументов выводит название текущей папки.
Перейти в папку внутри текущего каталога:
C:\content-server>cd assets
C:\content-server\assets>
Перейти на одну папку вверх:
C:\content-server\assets>cd ..
C:\content-server>
Перейти в папку на другом диске:
c:\content-server>cd /d d:/
d:\>
Чтобы просто изменить диск, введите c: или d:.
Создать папку — mkdir или md
Создаём пустую папку code внутри папки html:
d:\html>mkdir coded:\html>dir
Содержимое папки d:\html
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> .
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> ..
03.11.2020 19:25 <DIR> code
0 файлов 0 байт
3 папок 253 389 438 976 байт свободно
Создаём несколько пустых вложенных папок — для этого записываем их через косую черту:
d:\html>mkdir css\js
d:\html>dir
Том в устройстве D имеет метку DATA
Серийный номер тома: 0000-0000
Содержимое папки d:\html
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> .
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> ..
03.11.2020 19:25 <DIR> code
03.11.2020 19:29 <DIR> css
Создаётся папка css, внутри которой находится папка js. Чтобы проверить это, используем команду tree. Она показывает дерево папок.
Удалить папку — rmdir или rd
Чтобы удалить конкретную папку в текущей, введите команду rmdir:
d:\html\css>rmdir js
При этом удалить можно только пустую папку. Если попытаться удалить папку, в которой что-то есть, увидим ошибку:
d:\html\css>d:\html>rmdir css
Папка не пуста.
Чтобы удалить дерево папок, используйте ключ /s. Тогда командная строка запросит подтверждение перед тем, как удалить всё.
d:\html>rmdir css /s
css, вы уверены [Y(да)/N(нет)]? y
Показать дерево папок — tree
В любом момент мы можем увидеть структуру папок. Для этого используется команда tree.
d:\html>tree
Структура папок тома DATA
Серийный номер тома: 0000-0000
D:.
├───code
└───css
└───js
Если вы хотите посмотреть содержимое всего диска, введите tree в корне нужного диска. Получится красивая анимация, а если файлов много, то ещё и немного медитативная.
Удаление файла — del или erase
Команда для удаления одного или нескольких файлов.
d:\html>del blog.txt
Переименование файла — ren или rename
Последовательно вводим ren, старое и новое имя файла.
d:\html>dir
Содержимое папки d:\html
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> .
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> ..
03.11.2020 19:59 0 blag.txt
d:\html>ren blag.txt blog.txt
d:\html>dir
Содержимое папки d:\html
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> .
03.11.2020 19:23 <DIR> ..
03.11.2020 19:59 0 blog.txt
Команды одной строкой
Очистить консоль — cls.
Информация о системе — systeminfo.
d:\html>systeminfo
Имя узла: DESKTOP-6MHURG5
Название ОС: Майкрософт Windows 10 Pro
Версия ОС: 10.0.20246 Н/Д построение 20246
Изготовитель ОС: Microsoft Corporation
Параметры ОС: Изолированная рабочая станция
Сборка ОС: Multiprocessor Free
Информация о сетевых настройках — ipconfig.
d:\html>ipconfig
Настройка протокола IP для Windows
Адаптер Ethernet Ethernet 2:
Состояние среды. . . . . . . . : Среда передачи недоступна.
DNS-суффикс подключения . . . . . :
Список запущенных процессов — tasklist.
c:\>tasklist
Имя образа PID Имя сессии № сеанса Память
========================= ======== ================ =========== ============
System Idle Process 0 Services 0 8 КБ
System 4 Services 0 2 688 КБ
Secure System 72 Services 0 23 332 КБ
…
Справка по командам — help
Команда help без аргументов выводит список всех возможных команд. help вместе с именем команды выведет справку по этой команде.
d:\html>help tree
Графическое представление структуры папок или пути.
TREE [диск:][путь] [/F] [/A]
/F Вывод имён файлов в каждой папке.
/A Использовать символы ASCII вместо символов национальных алфавитов.
В этой статье приведены не все команды и не все их возможности, но вы всегда можете воспользоваться командой help и узнать о том, что ещё может командная строка.
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