Below is information about how to navigate to or change the directory or folder while working on a computer. Click the operating system you are looking for information on how to change directories or folders.

Microsoft Windows

To change or open directories (folders) while in Microsoft Windows, open either My Computer or Windows Explorer and double-click the folder you want to open. For example, if you wanted to move into the “Boot” folder of the current “Windows” folder shown in the picture below, you would double-click the “Boot” folder. You can also right-click the “Boot” folder and select Open in the pop-up menu.

  • Microsoft Windows
  • MS-DOS and the Windows command line
  • Linux and Unix

To go back to the previous folder, click the back arrow (arrow pointing left), or click the name of the location in the path you want to move. For example, in the above picture, the path is “This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Windows,” to get back to the C: drive we would click “Local Disk C:” text.

MS-DOS and the Windows command line

To change directories while in MS-DOS or the Windows command line, use the cd command. Below are some basic examples of how this command can change directories.

You can also use the back button (thumb button) on your mouse to move back a folder.

If you have difficulties double-clicking, you can also highlight the folder by clicking it once and then press the Enter key to open the folder.

Microsoft Windows users can also change directories at the Windows command line (MS-DOS) as explained below.

  • How to get to an MS-DOS prompt or Windows command line.

Before changing directories, you need to know what directories are available in the current directory. To do this, use the dir command. For example, type the following command to only list directories in the current directory.

dir /ad

See the dir command page for further information and examples of this command. In the picture is an example of the tree command that lists all directories and subdirectories from your current location.

Once you have a directory name, type a command similar to the command below, which is moving into the Windows directory.

cd windows

If you need to move into multiple directories with one command, you can use a command similar to the example below. In this example, the command would move into the system directory, a subdirectory of the Windows directory.

cd windows\system

If you need to move back a directory (parent directory), you can use the following command. For example, if you were in the Windows directory when you typed this command, it would move you back one directory to the C:\ directory.

cd..

If you were in more than one directory (e.g., C:\Windows\System32) and wanted to move back to the root directory, you could use the following command.

cd\

  • See the cd command page for further information and examples of this command.
  • How to use the Windows command line (DOS).

Linux and Unix

To change directories while in a *nix environment, use the cd command. Below are some basic examples of how this command can change directories.

Before changing directories, you need to know what directories are available in the current directory. To do this, use the ls command. For example, type the following command to only list directories in the current directory.

ls -d */

See the ls command page for further information and examples of this command. Once you know the directory is available, type a command similar to the command below. The example below changes into the public_html directory.

cd public_html

If you need to move into a subdirectory with one command, you can use a command similar to the example below. In the example below, the command would move into the cgi-bin directory, which is in the public_html directory.

cd public_html/cgi-bin

If you need to move back a directory (parent directory), you can use the following command. For example, if you were in the public_html directory when you typed this command, it would move you back into the home directory.

cd ..

If you were in more than one directory (e.g., public_html/cgi-bin) and wanted to move back to the home directory, you could use the following command.

There must be a space between cd and the two periods.

cd ~

To return to the root directory, change directory to / (a single forward slash):

cd /

  • See the Linux and Unix cd command page for further information and examples of this command.
  • Linux and Unix shell tutorial.
  • What is the difference between a directory and a folder?
  • See the directory and folder definition for further information and related links.
  • Computer directory and folder help and support.