How to Change Directories in Command Prompt

This updated guide examines How to Change Directories in Command Prompt and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Part 1of 2:

Opening Command Prompt

1. Open Start. Either click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the?Winkey.
   • For Windows 8, place your mouse cursor in the top-right corner of the screen, then click the magnifying glass icon when it appears.
2. Type incmd. This will bring up the Command Prompt icon at the top of the Start window.
3. Right-click Command Prompt. It resembles a black box. This invokes a drop-down menu.
4. ClickRun as administrator. It's near the top of the drop-down menu. Doing so will open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
   • Confirm this choice by clicking Yes when prompted.
   • You won't be able to run Command Prompt in administrator mode if you're on a restricted, public, or networked computer (e.g., a library or school computer), or an otherwise non-administrator account.

Part 2of 2:

Changing the Directory

1. Type incd. Make sure you include the space after "cd". This command, which stands for "change directory", is the root of any directory change.
   • Don't press the?Enterkey.
2. Determine your directory's path. A directory path is like a map to a specific folder. For example, if the directory to which you want to change is the "System32" folder that's in the "WINDOWS" folder on the hard drive, the path would be "C:WINDOWSSystem32".
   • You can find a folder's path by opening My Computer, double-clicking the hard drive icon, navigating to your destination, and then looking at the address at the top of the folder.
3. Type in your directory's path. Your command or address goes after the "cd" command; make sure there is a space between "cd" and your command.
   • For example, your whole command might look likecd WindowsSystem32orcd D:.
   • Since your computer's default directory location will be the hard drive (e.g., "C:"), you don't need to type in the hard drive's name.
4. Press?Enter. Doing so will change the Command Prompt directory to your selected one.