Navigating the filesystem is an essential task when working with PowerShell. Whether you’re managing files, accessing different directories, or executing commands, understanding how to change directories is crucial. In this blog post, we’ll explore various PowerShell change directory commands to help you navigate your file system efficiently.
Table of Contents
How to Change Directory in PowerShell with Set-Location
The Set-Location cmdlet (also known as “Set-Location” or its alias “cd”) allows you to change the current location in the file system. It’s the most common command used for navigating directories in PowerShell. Here are some of the most frequently used parameters:
- Path: Specifies the path to the directory you want to change to.
- LiteralPath: Similar to Path, but interprets the value literally without wildcard expansion.
Now, let’s dive into some examples to see these commands in action:
Example 1: Change to a Specified Path
Set-Location -Path D:\Documents
This command changes the current directory to “D:.” You can replace the path with any valid directory on your system.
Example 2: Change to Sub Directory
Set-Location -Path .\dir1
Here, we use the relative path “.” to change to a subdirectory located within the current directory.
You can also specify multi-level subdirectories.
Set-Location -Path .\dir1\subdir2
Example 3: Change to Parent Directory (One or More Multiple Levels)
Set-Location -Path ..\..
This command moves two levels up from the current directory using the “..” notation. Each “..” represents one directory up.
Example 4: Change to Root Directory
Set-Location -Path / Set-Location -Path \
The forward-slash (“/”) represents the root directory in most operating systems. In Windows operating systems, back slash (””) works, too. This command changes the current directory to the root.
Example 5: Change to Directory History (Backward and Forward)
Every change location is saved in the current session’s history. As such, the PowerShell change directory command allows you to cycle backward and forward the PowerShell change directory history.
Using a hyphen (–) as the path takes you to the previous directory in the history.
Set-Location -Path -
Using a plus sign (+) as the path takes you to the next directory in the history.
Set-Location -Path +
PowerShell Change Directory with Push-Location and Pop-Location
PowerShell also provides two additional commands, Push-Location and Pop-Location, which are useful for maintaining a directory stack and navigating between different directories. Here’s a brief overview of these commands:
- Push-Location (Alias: pushd): Saves the current directory to a stack and changes the current location to the specified directory.
- Pop-Location (Alias: popd): Restores the directory from the top of the stack and changes the current location to it.
These commands allow you to switch between directories without remembering the exact paths.
Below is an illustration of how Push-Location builds a stack of directories and Pop-Location, removing each directory from the stack.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
Push-Location -Path C:\demo Push-Location -Path C:\demo\dir1 Push-Location -Path D:\Documents Push-Location -Path C:\Windows\System32
The Push-Location command changes the current directory to “C:” and saves the previous location in the directory stack.
Pop-Location
Executing the Pop-Location command restores the previous directory from the stack, effectively returning you to the previous location.
Summary
- Set-Location (cd) is the primary PowerShell change directory command, allowing you to navigate to specific paths, subdirectories, parent directories, or even the root directory.
- Push-Location (pushd) and Pop-Location (popd) commands work together to maintain a stack of directory locations, making switching between directories easier.
- Understanding these commands and their parameters will significantly enhance your efficiency when working with PowerShell.
Mastering PowerShell change directory commands is essential for navigating the filesystem and executing commands effectively. You can effortlessly move between directories, manage your file system, and streamline your PowerShell workflow by using Set-Location, Push-Location, and Pop-Location.
