cd

Syntax

UPPERCASE words are placeholders to replace. Brackets in the syntax line describe optional arguments; do not type those brackets literally.

cd [DIRECTORY]

Example

cd "$HOME"

Expected result

The shell moves to your home directory.

Notes and traps

Quote paths with spaces. Running cd inside a script does not change its parent shell’s directory.

Related commands

• PowerShell: Get-Location
• PowerShell: Set-Location
• Bash: pwd
• CMD: cd

Related tasks may need different flags and have different semantics. Check the entry before translating a command between shells.

Updated 13 September 2026. Examples describe the expected behavior; not every platform is available for execution testing.