Cd (Change Directory)

The cd (Change Directory) command is used to change the working directory. On the GUI, you can use your mouse to select a directory or file through Finder on Mac or Explorer on Windows. On the CUI, you need to use your keyboard to move your Working Directory to a different location with the cd command.

Special Characters to specify directories

Before explaining the cd command syntax, it is important to learn some special characters used for specifying certain directories.

• / (slash): root directory
• . (dot): working directory
• .. (double dot): parent directory
• ~ (tilde): user's home directory

The cd command

As you can see below, the command syntax is simple. You can use both an absolute path and a relative path to specify the directory path.

cd [directory path]

Here are some examples of the cd command

To go to the root directory

cd /

To go to the parent directory

cd ..

To go to the home directory

cd ~

If you don't add a directory path, your working directory goes to the home directory as well.

cd

To go to the child directory named directory_a

cd directory_a