Purpose:Display or change the current directory

 

Format:CD [/= /D /N /R /X] [path | - | :path]

 

pathThe directory to change to, optionally including a drive letter
folderA Windows Shell folder name

 

/D(rive)/R(eparse point)
/N(o extended search)/X (exclude)        

 

See also: CDD, MD, PUSHD, RD, and Directory Navigation.

 

Internet:  Can be used with FTP Servers.

 

File Completion Syntax:

 

The default filename completion syntax is: dirs

 

Usage:

 

CD and CHDIR are synonyms. You can use either one.

 

CD lets you navigate through a drive's subdirectory structure by changing the current working directory. If you enter CD and a directory name, the named directory becomes the new current directory. For example, to change to the subdirectory C:\FINANCE\MYFILES:

 

[c:\] cd \finance\myfiles

[c:\finance\myfiles]

 

Every disk drive on the system has its own current directory. Specifying both a drive and a directory in the CD command will change the current directory on the specified drive, but will not change the default drive (unless you use the /D option). For example, to change the default directory on drive A:

 

[c:\] cd a:\utility

[c:\]

 

Notice that this command does not change to drive A:. Use the /D option, or preferably the CDD command to change the current drive and directory at the same time.

 

If path contains white space or special characters (which is valid only for an LFN drive), you must enclose it in double quotes.

 

If path begins with a ~ (tilde), CD will substitute to the user's home directory, as defined by HOME in the environment. (If HOME doesn't exist, TCC will look for %HOMEDRIVE + HOMEPATH.)

 

You can change to the parent directory with CD ..; you can also go up one additional directory level with each additional .. For example, CD .... will go up three levels in the directory tree (see Extended Parent Directory Names). You can move to a sibling directory (one that branches from the same parent directory as the current subdirectory) with a command like CD ..\newdir .

 

If you enter CD with no parameter or with only a disk drive name, it will display the current directory on the default or named drive.

 

If CD cannot change to the directory you have specified it will attempt to search the CDPATH and the extended directory search database in order to find a matching directory and switch to it. You can disable this default extended search with /N. You can also use wildcards in path to force an extended directory search. Read the section on Directory Navigation for complete details on these and other directory navigation features.

 

If the EverythingSearch option is set, CD will use Everything Search (https://www.voidtools.com) instead of JPSTREE.IDX for fuzzy directory searches. Everything Search is faster, but will only work on local NTFS drives. Setting EverythingSearch is the equivalent of setting FuzzyCD=3 (*name*). The Take Command installer will install Everything Search automatically.

 

CD saves the current directory before changing to a new directory. You can switch back to the previous directory by entering CD -. (There must be a space between the CD command and the hyphen.)  You can switch back and forth between two directories by repeatedly entering CD -. The saved directory is the same for both the CD and CDD commands. Drive changes and automatic directory changes also modify the saved directory, so you can use CD - to return to a directory that you exited with an automatic directory change. TCC recognizes a single hyphen on the command line as an internal alias for CDD -.

 

Directory changes made with CD are recorded in the directory history list and can be displayed in the directory history window, which allows you to return quickly to a recently-used directory.

 

You can also use CD to display or change the current directory on an FTP server opened with IFTP. For example:

 

cd ftp:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/

 

cd ftp:/pub

 

Note: FTP directory changes use neither the CDPATH feature nor the Extended Directory Searches database.

 

CD never changes the default drive, unless the /D option is specified. If you change directories on one drive, switch to another drive, and then enter CD -, the directory will be restored on the first drive but the current drive will not be changed.

 

At startup, TCC saves the last directory from SHRALIAS or (if loaded by TCSTART) the directory history list to the "CD -" buffer.

 

You can also CD to one of the predefined Windows folders. The syntax is:

 

CDD :foldername

 

where foldername can be:

 

AccountPictures

AddNewProgramsFolder

AdministrativeTools

AppData

ApplicationShortcuts

AppsFolder

AppUpdatesFolder

Cache

CameraRoll

CDBurning

ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder

CommonAdminTools

CommonAppData

CommonDesktop

CommonDocuments

CommonDownloads

CommonMusic

CommonPictures

CommonPrograms

CommonRingtones

CommonStartMenu

CommonStartup

CommonTemplates

CommonVideo

ConflictFolder

ConnectionsFolder

Contacts

ControlPanelFolder

Cookies

Cookies\Low

CredentialManager

CryptoKeys

Desktop

DeviceMetadataStore

DocumentsLibrary

Downloads

dpapiKeys

Favorites

Fonts

Games

GameTasks

History

HomeGroupCurrentUserFolder

HomeGroupFolder

ImplicitAppShortcuts

InternetFolder

Libraries

Links

LocalAppData

LocalAppDataLow

MusicLibrary

MyComputerFolder

MyMusic

MyPictures

MyVideo

Nethood

NetworkPlacesFolder

OneDrive

OneDriveCameraRoll

OneDriveDocuments

OneDriveMusic

OneDrivePictures

Personal

PicturesLibrary

PrintersFolder

PrintHood

Profile

ProgramFiles

ProgramFilesCommon

ProgramFilesCommonX64

ProgramFilesCommonX86

ProgramFilesX64

ProgramFilesX86

Programs

Public

PublicAccountPictures

PublicGameTasks

PublicLibraries

QuickLaunch

Recent

RecordedTVLibrary

RecycleBinrFolder

ResourceDir

RingTones

RoamedTileImages

RoamingTiles

SavedGames

Screenshots

Searches

SearchHistoryFolder

SearchHomeFolder

SearchTemplatesFolder

SendTo

StartMenuStart Menu

Startup

SyncCenterFolder

SyncResultsFolder

SyncSetupFolder

System

SystemCertificates

SystemX86

Templates

ThisPCDesktopFolder

UsersFilesFolder

UserPinned

UserProfiles

UserProgramFiles

UserProgramFilesCommon

UsersLibrariesFolder

VideosLibrary

Windows

 

Options:

 

/=Display the CD command dialog to help you set the command line options. The /= option can be anywhere on the line; additional options will set the appropriate fields in the command dialog.

 

/DChanges the current drive as well as directory. This option is included only for compatibility with the same option available in some versions of CMD. In most cases you should use CDD, which performs the same function.

 

/NSkips the standard extended directory search when the directory is not found. This option is useful in batch files to force an error (rather than an extended search) if a directory is not found.

 

/RChange to the target of the reparse point (hard or symbolic link).

 

/XDon't save the current directory to the Directory History list..