{"id":59099,"date":"2023-10-23T15:01:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T07:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=59099"},"modified":"2023-10-22T18:23:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T10:23:28","slug":"linux-command-cd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/linux-command-cd\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the CD Command in Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cd<\/code> command, short for \u201cchange directory,\u201d is one of the most fundamental and frequently used commands in Linux operating systems. Its primary purpose is to navigate between different directories within the file system. By enabling users to easily switch from one folder to another, the cd<\/code> command plays a vital role in file management and system navigation. Here are several ways the cd<\/code> command can be used.<\/p>\n

General syntax for cd<\/code> command:<\/p>\n

\r\n$ cd [DIRECTORY...]\r\n<\/pre>\n
\n
1. Go to immediate parent directory<\/h3>\n
cd ..<\/pre>\n
This command will get your from current directory to a directory before this.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\/folder\r\n$ cd ..\r\n$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, the user was initially in the \/home\/username\/folder<\/code> directory and moved up to the \/home\/username<\/code> directory by executing cd ..<\/code>.<\/p>\n
\n
2. Go to previous directory<\/h3>\n
cd -<\/pre>\n
This command will return you to the directory before the current. Think of it as the back button in your browser.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\/folder1\r\n$ cd \/home\/username\/folder2\r\n$ cd -\r\n\/home\/username\/folder1\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, the user first navigates to \/home\/username\/folder2<\/code> and then uses cd -<\/code> to return to the previous directory (\/home\/username\/folder1<\/code>), and the path to the previous directory is printed to the terminal.<\/p>\n
\n
3. Go to home directory<\/h3>\n
cd ~<\/pre>\n
The cd ~<\/code> command will bring you back to your home directory, regardless of which directory you are currently in.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\/folder\r\n$ cd ~\r\n$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, the user was initially in the \/home\/username\/folder<\/code> directory and moved to the user\u2019s home directory, \/home\/username<\/code>, by executing cd ~<\/code>.<\/p>\n
\n
4. Move two directories up from current location<\/h3>\n
cd ..\/..\/<\/pre>\n
Instead of doing cd ..<\/code> twice to go up two directories before the current, you can use just cd ..\/..\/<\/code> instead.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\/folder\/subfolder\r\n$ cd ..\/..\/\r\n$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, the user was initially in the \/home\/username\/folder\/subfolder<\/code> directory and moved up two levels to the \/home\/username<\/code> directory by executing cd ..\/..\/<\/code>.<\/p>\n
5. Go to directory with spaces in their name<\/h3>\n
cd directory\\ name\\ with\\ space<\/pre>\n
or<\/code><\/p>\n
cd 'directory name with space'<\/pre>\n
To cd<\/code> into directories with spaces in their name, you can either add left-backlash (\\<\/code>) at the back each word, or wrap the directory name with single quotes (''<\/code>).<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\r\n$ ls\r\ndirectory name with space  otherfolder\r\n$ cd directory\\ name\\ with\\ space\r\n$ pwd\r\n\/home\/username\/directory name with space\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, the user was initially in the \/home\/username<\/code> directory, then changed to the \/home\/username\/directory name with space<\/code> directory using the cd<\/code> command with appropriate backslashes to escape the spaces in the directory name.<\/p>\n
\n
More Linux commands:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Directory Operations<\/td>\nrmdir<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 cd<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 pwd<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 exa<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 ls<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
File Operations<\/td>\ncat<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 cp<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 dd<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 less<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 touch<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 ln<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 rename<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 more<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 head<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
File System Operations<\/td>\nchown<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 mkfs<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 locate<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Networking<\/td>\nping<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 curl<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 wget<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 iptables<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 mtr<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Search and Text Processing<\/td>\nfind<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 grep<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 sed<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 whatis<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 ripgrep<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 fd<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 tldr<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
System Information and Management<\/td>\nenv<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 history<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 top<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 who<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 htop<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 glances<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 lsof<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
User and Session Management<\/td>\nscreen<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 su<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 sudo<\/code><\/a> \u00b7 open<\/code><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The “cd” command in Linux is simple but versatile. Explore the various ways to use it effectively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3397],"tags":[888,3316],"topic":[],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Use the CD Command in Linux - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The "cd" command in Linux is simple but versatile. 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