cd

The cd command is short for 'change directory'. It is used to move from one directory to another similar to double clicking on a folder icon in a window based explorer.

Example

cd project

This will look for a directory called 'project' in the current directory and, if it exists, make it the current directory.

If the directory does not exist the following error will be displayed:

cd: no such file or directory: project

Forward Slash (/)

Using a forward slash when entering a directory path with make it an 'absolute' path. This means that it will start in the root directory.

Example

cd /project

This will look for a directory called 'project' in the operating system's root directory.

Tilde (~)

Using a tilde when entering a directory path will start the path in the current user's home directory.

Example

cd ~/project

Full stop (.)

A full stop is used to indicate the current directory. This could be used when trying to reference a file in the current directory.

Example

./project.zip

Double Full Stop (..)

The double full stop is used to reference a directory's parent directory.

Example

cd ../project

This will look for the directory that contains the 'project' directory and will set it as the current directory.