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How do I change my current working directory in GitHub?

Published in Command Line Basics 5 mins read

You change your current working directory using the cd command on your local computer's command line interface, such as Git Bash, Terminal, Command Prompt, or PowerShell, not directly within the GitHub website interface.

While GitHub is a web platform for hosting and managing Git repositories, your "current working directory" is a concept specific to your local file system when you are using a command-line tool to interact with those repositories. To navigate to your project folder, which might be a local clone of a GitHub repository, you use the cd (change directory) command.

Understanding the cd Command

The cd command is a fundamental command used in various operating system shells (like Bash, Zsh, Command Prompt, PowerShell) to change the current directory (folder) in which you are working. When you open a command-line interface, you are always located in a specific directory. Many Git commands need to be executed from within the directory of your local repository.

As the reference states, "The command to change locations is cd followed by a directory name if it is a sub-directory in our current working directory or a file path if not."

This means:

  • If the directory you want to go to is inside your current location, you just type cd followed by the subdirectory name.
  • If the directory is elsewhere on your computer (not a direct subdirectory), you provide the full path to that directory.

How to Use cd

Here are common ways to use the cd command:

Navigating to a Subdirectory

If you are in /Users/YourName/Projects and want to go to /Users/YourName/Projects/MyProject, you would use:

cd MyProject

Navigating Up One Directory

To move from a subdirectory back to its parent directory:

cd ..

If you are in /Users/YourName/Projects/MyProject/src and type cd .., you will move to /Users/YourName/Projects/MyProject.

Navigating to Your Home Directory

A convenient shortcut to return to your user's home directory (e.g., /Users/YourName on macOS/Linux, C:\Users\YourName on Windows):

cd ~

Or simply:

cd

Navigating Using an Absolute Path

To go directly to a specific directory anywhere on your system, you can provide its full, or absolute, path. For example, on macOS or Linux:

cd /Users/YourName/Documents/GitHub/MyRepo

On Windows (using Command Prompt or PowerShell):

cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents\GitHub\MyRepo

(Note: Paths use forward slashes / in Git Bash and Unix-like shells, and backslashes \ in Windows Command Prompt/PowerShell, although forward slashes often work in PowerShell and Git Bash on Windows).

Practical Steps to Change Directory

  1. Open your Command Line Interface: This could be Git Bash (recommended for Windows Git users), Terminal (macOS/Linux), Command Prompt (Windows), or PowerShell (Windows).
  2. Check your current directory: You can often see your current path displayed in the prompt. If not, use commands like pwd (print working directory) on macOS/Linux/Git Bash or cd (just typing cd shows the current directory) on Windows Command Prompt/PowerShell.
  3. Use the cd command: Type cd followed by the name of the directory or the full path you want to move to.
  4. Press Enter: Execute the command.
  5. Verify your location: Use pwd or cd again to confirm you are in the desired directory.

Example Workflow

Let's say your GitHub repository is cloned locally into ~/Documents/MyGitHubProject.

# Open Terminal or Git Bash
# Current directory is likely your home directory (~)

# Check current directory
pwd
# Output might be /Users/YourName or /c/Users/YourName

# Change to the Documents directory
cd Documents

# Change to the project directory
cd MyGitHubProject

# Now you are in the directory containing your local repository files
# You can now run Git commands like git status, git pull, etc.

# Go back up two levels (e.g., to your home directory)
cd ../..

# Go directly back to the project directory using the absolute path
cd /Users/YourName/Documents/MyGitHubProject

Why is this important for Git and GitHub?

Many Git commands (git status, git add, git commit, git pull, git push) must be run from within the local directory that contains your Git repository. Changing your working directory correctly ensures that these commands operate on the intended project.

Remember, changing your working directory is a local file system operation on your computer, distinct from actions taken on the github.com website (like creating a repository, making a pull request, etc.).

Command Purpose Example Usage (from /home/user) Resulting Directory
cd <name> Change to a subdirectory cd Documents /home/user/Documents
cd .. Change to the parent directory cd .. /home
cd ~ Change to the home directory cd ~ /home/user
cd /path Change to an absolute path (Unix-like) cd /var/log /var/log
cd C:\path Change to an absolute path (Windows Cmd/PS) cd C:\Projects\MyRepo C:\Projects\MyRepo

Using the cd command effectively on your local machine is key to managing your Git repositories and interacting with platforms like GitHub via the command line.

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