How to change directory in cmd

How to Change Directories in Command Prompt

And what to do if you run into issues

What to Know

This article teaches you two different methods to change directories in the command prompt in Windows 10. It also teaches you what to do if you’re unable to change directories.

How to Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10

Before you can navigate around the command prompt in Windows 10, it’s useful to know how to open the command prompt. Here’s how to do so.

On the Windows 10 search bar, type cmd.

Click Run as Administrator to open the command prompt with full access rights to do whatever you need to do.

How Do I Change Directories in Command Prompt?

Changing directories in the command prompt can be a lot simpler than you’d think. Here’s one method of doing so.

Type cd followed by a space in the command prompt window.

Drag and drop the folder you want to browse into the window.

Press Enter.

How Do I Navigate to a Folder in Command Prompt?

If drag and drop isn’t convenient or accessible, or you’d prefer to type your commands, there’s another way of navigating to a folder in command prompt easily enough. Here’s how to do so.

You’ll need to know the name of the directory.

In the command prompt window, type cd followed by the folder’s name you wish to find.

This only works for immediate folders straight after the one you’re in.

Alternatively, type cd name\name to go down two levels of documents at once. For example: cd Admin\Downloads

If you feel lost within the directory, type dir and press enter to view the contents of the directory you’re in.

Why Can’t I Change Directory in CMD?

If you can’t change directories within the command prompt, you may be doing something wrong or have your permissions set incorrectly. Here are some things to bear in mind that should make it simple to change directories again.

It’s a command-line interpreter program that’s available on all Windows PCs. It’s often used to perform more advanced administrative functions or to troubleshoot an issue. The commands you can use depend on which version of Windows you own.

Type cls and press Enter. This clears all of the previous commands you entered.

Yes, but you need to enable it first. Open Command Prompt, right-click on the top bar, and select Properties. Under Edit Options, select the checkbox next to Use Ctrl+Shift+C/V as Copy/Paste.

Specific commands require an elevated Command Prompt to run. You’ll know you need this if you get an error message about having insufficient privileges or needing administrator-level access. To elevate Command Prompt, run it as an administrator.

How To Change Directory in Command Prompt (CMD)

Knowing how to change directories in CMD or Command Prompt can be very useful for troubleshooting an issue or performing an advanced administrative function on your computer. Changing directories in CMD is a relatively straightforward process that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. However, if you have never used CMD before, this Windows app might be slightly confusing at first.

In this article, we’ll show you how to change directories in CMD or Command Prompt on different operating systems. In addition, we’ll discuss why it may not be possible to change directories in CMD and how you can fix this issue.

Change Directory in CMD

Command Prompt is otherwise known as CMD, the command shell, or the Windows Command Processor. It’s a native app that’s available on all NT-based Windows operating systems. It works as a command-line interpreter, used for giving various types of commands to the system, performing advanced administrative functions, and troubleshooting issues with your Windows. Its main purpose is to execute entered commands.

You can also use Command Prompt for automated tasks, which gives you the option to run more than one command at a time. Keep in mind that not all Windows OS versions use the same commands, so the command you will type in to change directories depends on your version of Windows. Another important fact is that you won’t be able to execute a lot of commands unless you’re using the Command Prompt app as an administrator.

If you have a newer version of Windows, you can find CMD right in the Start menu. The location of the shortcut may vary, depending on the OS version you have. In any case, this is its original location: “Local Disk (C:)\Windows\system32\cmd.exe,” and it’s the same for all Windows versions.

Many Windows users aren’t aware that Command Prompt is actually one of the most powerful apps this operating system has. Although the app is quite straightforward, only requiring you to know how computer syntax works, it might be complicated if you have never used it before. That being said, once you get the hang of it, CMD is generally easy to use. Once you launch the app, you only have to type in the correct syntax, along with any optional parameters, and press “Enter.”

If you want to change directories in CMD, the correct syntax is “cd,” which stands for “change directories.” As opposed to many commands that are limited to your Windows OS, the “cd” command is available in all versions of Windows. The “cd” command is also used to show the drive letter and the folder where you are right now. To put it simply, this command allows you to jump from one directory (folder) to another.

We’ll be using the so-called drag-and-drop method to show you how it works. Before getting started, make sure the folder you want to change in the Command Prompt window is somewhere close by. Follow the steps below to find out how to change directories in CMD:

That’s all there is to it. This is by far the easiest way to change a directory in CMD. If you want to clear the command you have just entered, just type in “cls” and press the “Enter” key. Everything will immediately go back to normal.

The “cd” command is actually a shorter version of the “chdir” command, which is used to change the drive or the directory in CMD. “Chdir” also stands for “change directory.”

Change Directory in CMD to C Drive

You can also use the drag-and-drop method to change a directory in CMD to the C Drive. This is how it’s done:

You’ll be immediately taken to the Local Disk (C:) Drive. This command helps you change the entire directory altogether. If you are already in your C Drive, there is no need to perform this command. What’s also great about CMD is that it doesn’t differentiate lowercase and uppercase letters, so if you accidentally enter “c:” and press “Enter,” it will still take you to this drive.

Change Directory in CMD Mac

On Mac devices, the Command Prompt app can be found on the Apps screen. Note that on a Mac, the Command Prompt app is known as Terminal, which is the default gateway to the command line. Even though the Command Prompt window looks slightly different on a Mac, the command to change directories is the same.

As mentioned before, the Terminal app is located in the Applications or the Utilities folder. You can also open it using Finder. This is what you need to do next to change a directory in CMD on your Mac:

That’s all you have to do. If you want to go to that folder, type in “

” after “cd.” If you just press the “Return” key after “cd,” it will just take you back to the Home folder.

Change Directory in CMD Linux

Similar to the Command Prompt on Windows and Mac devices, you need to use the “cd” command to change directories. This is how it’s done on Linux:

As opposed to Windows and Mac, the Linux CMD does differentiate lowercase and uppercase letters, so be careful when typing.

Change Directory in CMD Not Working

If you tried to change a directory in Command Prompt, and it doesn’t seem to be working, there could be a couple of reasons. One of the most common reasons why you can’t change a directory in CMD is because you didn’t type in the correct syntax. This is the first thing you should check if the CMD directory doesn’t work. What’s more, make sure there is one space between “cd” and the directory.

Keep in mind that you are required to be the administrator of your Windows account for this to work. If you aren’t the administrator, or if you don’t have administrative permissions, you won’t be able to do much with this command-line interpreter.

Another thing to do is check whether the directory you want to use currently exists on your device. If the directory was somehow deleted, or if it doesn’t exist in the first place, your command prompt won’t go through. Finally, make sure that you are referring to the right hard drive. If there is more than one hard drive on your computer, the Command Prompt may get confused and make a mess.

Use CMD Like a Pro

The Command Prompt app may be confusing for first-time users, but once you get the hang of it, you will be able to use it to your advantage. To change directories in CMD, simply type in “cd,” followed by the name of the directory you want to change, and that’s it.

Have you ever tried to change a directory in CMD? Did you try performing any other tasks in the command line? Let us know in the comments section below.

How to change Directory in Command Prompt on Windows 11/10

Windows Command Prompt is a great built-in tool that allows you to run programs using the command-line option. Using the command, you can perform a lot of things instantly on your Windows computer like troubleshooting and fixing certain kinds of challenging issues, switching or changing directory, and more.

As a Windows user, you must need to be well familiar with the basic commands and usage of the Command Prompt. In this guide, we will show you how to change directories in Command Prompt on Windows 11/10.

How to change Directory in CMD

1] Using DIR and CD commands

To get started, open the Windows search using Win+Q keyboard shortcut.

In the text area, type cmd and then select Command Prompt from the result list.

Once you open the command prompt, type dir command to see the list of all subdirectories in the current folder.

In the above screenshot, you can see the list of all directories available in my folder named “digvi”.

Now suppose you want to change the current directory with the Documents folder from the list.

To do so, type cd followed by a space, type Documents and then hit Enter-

If you think you are in the wrong directory and want to change the directory then you first need to move a level back.

To do that, type the below commands and hit Enter:

After turning back, type cd followed by a space and then type the new directory name you want to change.

Make sure to remove the brackets from the above command-line and then press the Enter key.

For reference, you can see the above image, where I have changed the Documents directory to Downloads directory.

Once you change the directory name, again type dir to see the contents of the directory.

2] Using Drag and Drop

In case the folder you have to change is present on your computer screen, use the drag and drop method to reflect the pathname of the folder.

3] Using the Tab key

Additionally, you can use the Tab key to type the directory name quickly.

To do this, type cd > space > the first few letters directory name, then hit the tab key.

Hope this helps!

Date: July 27, 2020 Tags: CMD

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Digvijay is a Windows enthusiast who likes to write about the Windows OS and software in specific, and technology in general. When he is not working, he would either surf the web or dives into learning tech skills.

How to Change Directories in Command Prompt on Windows 10

Marshall is a writer with experience in the data storage industry. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. He’s currently an API/Software Technical Writer based in Tokyo, Japan, runs VGKAMI and ITEnterpriser, and spends what little free time he has learning Japanese. Read more.

One of the first things you’ll need to learn as you become more familiar with Command Prompt on Windows 10 is how to change directories in the operating system’s file system. There are a few ways you can do this, so we’ll walk you through them.

First, type “cmd” in the Windows Search bar to open Command Prompt, and then select “Command Prompt” from the search results.

With Command Prompt opened, you’re ready to change directories.

Change Directories Using the Drag-and-Drop Method

If the folder you want to open in Command Prompt is on your desktop or already open in File Explorer, you can quickly change to that directory. Type cd followed by a space, drag and drop the folder into the window, and then press Enter.

The directory you switched to will be reflected in the command line.

Change Directories Within Command Prompt

It’s not always convenient to open File Explorer and drag and drop. That’s why it’s cool that you can also type a command to change directories right in Command Prompt.

Say, for example, you’re in your user folder, and there’s a “Documents” directory in the next file path. You can type the following command in Command Prompt to switch to that directory:

Note that this only works if you’re in the immediate file structure. In our case, that would be (user folder) > Documents. In our current directory, we wouldn’t be able to use this method to jump to a directory nested two levels down.

So, let’s say we’re currently in the user folder and want to go to the “How-To Geek” folder, which is nested in “Documents.” If we try to jump straight to “How-To Geek” without first going to “Documents,” we get the error shown in the image below.

Let’s take things one directory at a time, for now. As we mentioned previously, we’re currently in our user folder. We type cd Documents in Command Prompt to visit “Documents.”

We’re now in the “Documents” folder. To move down another level, we type cd on the command line followed by the name of that directory.

Now, let’s say we’re back in our user folder and want to skip that extra step and jump two directories down. In our case, this would be our “How-To Geek” folder. We type the following command:

This allows us to move two directory levels with one command.

If you ever go to the wrong directory and want to turn back, type the following command:

This allows you to move up a level.

A Navigation Tip

If you want to be a bit more efficient with your directory changes, type cd on the command line, followed by the first few letters of the directory you want. Then, press Tab to autocomplete the directory name.

See Directory Contents

If you’re ever lost and not sure where to go next, you can view the contents of your current directory by typing dir on the command line.

This will give you a hint as to which directory to navigate to next.

How to Change Directory in CMD | How to Use CD Command Win 10 [MiniTool Tips]

This tutorial gives a detailed guide on how to change directory in CMD (Command Prompt) in Windows 10 computer. Learn how to use CD command in Windows Command Prompt to access different directories and folders. FYI, MiniTool software designs a free data recovery software program allowing you to recover any deleted/lost files from Windows 10/8/7 computer and other storage devices.

Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) lets you do many things quickly on your Windows computer. Wonder how to change directory in CMD? You can use the CD command to easily do this.

What Is CD Command in Windows?

The CD command refers to “change directory”. It is a professional Windows Command Prompt change directory command. You can use CD command to easily change the current working directory in CMD in Windows 10, and open different directories or folders on your Windows 10 computer. Check how to use CD command to change directory in Command Prompt below.

How to Change Directory in CMD Windows 10

How to Change Directory in CMD with CD Command

Step 1. Open Windows Command Prompt Utility

Before you use Command Prompt to change directory, you should enter into Command Prompt at first.

You can press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open elevated Command Prompt in Windows 10.

Step 2. How to Use CD Command in CMD to Change Directory

Then you can type CD command lines in CMD to change different directory or folder paths.

If you want to go to a specific directory, you can type cd + full directory path, e.g. cd C:\Program Files.

To open a particular folder, you can type cd + full folder path, e.g., cd C:\Program Files\office.

To check the whole subdirectories and folders in the current directory, you can type dir command.

To go to the root level directory from any directory, you can type cd \.

To change the current drive, you can firstly type cd \ to go to the root directory, and then enter the drive letter followed by a colon to enter the target drive, e.g. I:.

To change the drive and directory at the same time, you can use CD and the /D switch simultaneously, e.g., cd /D I:\MiniTool Partition Wizard 11.

You can use Windows Run commands to fast access tools and settings on your Windows 10/11 computer. Here’s the list of 30 useful Run commands you should know.

Bottom Line

Now you should know how to change directory in Command Prompt (CMD) by using CD command in Windows 10. You can easily access different directories or folders with CD command Windows in Command Prompt.

If you can’t find a file or folder in your Windows 10 computer, you may lost it or mistakenly deleted it, you can easily recover the file or folder with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a professional free data recovery program compatible with Windows 10/8/7. You can use this software to easily recover data from various data loss situations.

Namely, you can recover any deleted/lost files from Windows 10/8/7 computer, external hard drive, USB/thumb/pen drive, SD card, and more.

For the data loss due to mistaken file deletion, system crash and other computer system issues, hard drive failure, malware/virus infection, etc. you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to easily retrieve the lost files and data.

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