cd Command in Linux
Change directory, also referred to as cd is a Linux command that allows users to quickly navigate between the directories directly from the terminal. It is a versatile command that is widely used in Linux systems to switch between different directories. This tutorial will cover all about cd commands on Linux systems.
Table of Contents
- Installation of cd Command in Linux
- Syntax for cd Command in Linux
- Different Options Available for cd Command
- Examples of cd Command in Linux
Installation of cd Command in Linux
The cd command is a part of coreutils package that is preinstalled on most Linux distributions. However, if you have accidentally deleted the coreutils package from the system, you can reinstall it from your Linux package manager.
For Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint, you can use apt package manager to install the coreutils package on your system −
sudo apt install coreutils
The other Linux distributions like REHL, CentOS and Fedora can use any of the following commands to install coreutils package on their systems −
sudo yum install coreutils
Or,
sudo dnf install coreutils
Syntax for cd Command in Linux
The syntax for cd command on Linux is quite simple, which is given below −
cd [directory_name/directory_path]
Different Options Available for cd Command
By default, cd command is used without an argument/option. However, you can use the below-given options from the table to change the behavior of the cd command on Linux.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -L | Follow symbolic links (default behavior). This means if you cd into a symlink, it resolves to the target directory. |
| -P | Do not follow symbolic links. If you cd into a symlink, you remain in the symlinked directory. |
| -e | If the directory does not exist, display an error message. |
| @ | Display the symbolic link information (if applicable). |
Examples of cd Command in Linux
Lets explore some examples of cd command, which are given below −
- Switch to Root Directory
- Switch to a Child Directory
- Switch to a Directory Using Absolute Pathname
- Go Up One Directory Level
- Return to the Previous Directory
- Return to the Home Directory
- Switch to Another User Directory
- Switch to a Directory with Spaces in the Name
Switch to Root Directory
One of the basic functions of cd command is to quickly switch to a root directory (the top-level directory in the filesystem hierarchy). For example, lets switch to the /tmp directory using the following command −
cd /tmp
Switch to a Child Directory
To navigate to a subdirectory (child directory) within your current location, you can use the below-given command −
cd [directory_name]
For example, to switch to the directory Documents, the following command will be used −
cd Documents
Note − Ensure the directory you want to switch will be there at the current location.
Switch to a Directory Using Absolute Pathname
You can provide the full path to your desired directory when using the cd command in Linux. This allows you to navigate directly to a specific location. For example, to move to a directory Documents using the absolute path, you can use the following command −
cd /home/ubuntu/Documents
Go Up One Directory Level
To go up one directory level that is moving to the parent directory from the current location, you can use the following command −
cd ..
Return to the Previous Directory
To return to the previous directory from the current location on Linux, you can use the below-given cd command −
cd -
Return to the Home Directory
If you want to quickly return to home directory from any location, you can use the following cd command −
cd ~
Switch to Another User Directory
With the cd command, you can also switch to another users directory. However, this can only be possible if you are login as a root user. For example, to switch to another user linux, the following command is used −
cd ~linux
Switch to a Directory with Spaces in the Name
When dealing with a directory that has spaces in its name, you can use the backslash symbol (\) to escape the spaces. For example, If the directory name is "My Documents" you would navigate to it like this −
cd My\ Documents
Thats how you can use the cd command on Linux to switch to directories according to your choice.
Conclusion
cd command is a versatile command used in all Linux distros to switch to a specific directory directly from the terminal. The syntax for cd command is simple and can be used with options like -L, -P, -e and @.
In this tutorial, we have explored multiple examples of cd commands starting with switching to root directory to ending with switching to a directory with space in the name. You can try all these examples to understand the basics and start navigating to a specific directory according to your choice.