It did work, as the command is designed to work.
You simply don’t know how it’s actually supposed to work.
You’re not using a Unix or Linux shell program. The cd command in Microsoft’s command interpreter doesn’t behave as the cd commands in such shells do. It behaves somewhat differently. In particular, it doesn’t always change directory. In Unix and Linux shells, cd only ever sets the working directory. In Microsoft’s command interpreter, cd sometimes queries it. There’s no separate pwd command, so cd does two jobs.
If you give it no arguments, or an argument that is just a drive letter and a colon without a path, then it reports the current directory instead of changing it. If you give it no arguments, it reports the current directory of the current drive of the command interpreter process. If you give it only a drive letter and a colon as an argument, it reports the command interpreter process’ current directory of that drive. Each drive has its own current directory in the command interpreter. (This is a fiction maintained by the run-time libraries for Microsoft’s and several other vendors’ implementations of various programming languages. Win32 itself doesn’t work this way.)
So when you gave it d: as an argument, it reported the the command interpreter process’ current directory on drive D to you, which happened to be D: If you’d given it no arguments at all, it would have reported C: to you.
If you want the cd command to always be in set mode and never be in query mode you need to add the /D option to it. This forces the command to always be in set mode, and also extends it so that it changes the current drive as well as changing a drive’s current directory. (In other words, it works more like the underlying Win32 API actually does.)
So, for example, the command line
cd /d d:
will change directory to whatever the current directory on drive D is, and also change the current drive to drive D.
If you want to change the command interpreter process’ current drive otherwise, the cd command is not the way. You do so by simply typing the drive letter and a colon:
Further reading
I have a networked drive mapped to “U:”
I want to go to that drive from a command line.
However, when I try I get an error
How do I do that? Can I? Is there some Environmental setting I need to do?
asked Dec 13, 2010 at 19:04
You can also try changing directories by using cd /d U:, rather than just U: This won’t help you though if the network path doesn’t exist.
answered Dec 13, 2010 at 19:09
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answered Apr 22, 2015 at 17:52
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Hope that helps.
answered Sep 3, 2015 at 17:22
As you use Windows, there are times you will need to execute commands in the Command Prompt (CMD) to perform certain tasks. There are commands that will only work when they are executed in the right directory. This short guide will show you how to change the directory or drive in CMD on Windows 11.
The commands to change directory or drive can also be used in the Windows Terminal (a new command-line tools and shells similar to CMD) in Windows 11.
Change directory or drive in Command Prompt
In Command Prompt, you can use the CD command to change the current directory to any other directory you want. This is provided if you have access to the directory and if the directory you want to change to does exist.
For example, the command below will change the current directory to “C: est” in CMD.
If the directory or path name contains spaces, it’s recommended to use quotes around the directory. For example, the command below will change the directory to “C:New folder” in CMD.
cd “C:New Folder”
To change the current directory to a different drive in CMD, simply enter the drive letter. For example, the command below will change to D: drive.
Tip: To view a list of all folders (sub-directories) in the current directory in CMD, enter “dir” in Command Prompt.
Can’t change directory in CMD
If the CD command does not work to change directory or drive in CMD, it is because CD is usually used for changing directory in the same drive. If you want to change the directory to a different drive, for example, from C: to D: drive, just type D: in the command prompt.
After changing the drive, you can then continue using the CD command to change the directory in that drive in CMD.
Alternatively, you can force use CD with a switch “/d” to tell the command prompt you are switching to another drive using the CD command. For example, the command below will change from any directory or drive to “D:oldersample” using CD command.
cd /d d:oldersample
Note that if the directory you are changing to does not exist, command prompt will return an error that says “The system cannot find the path specified“. Check the path name and try again.
Change default directory in CMD on Windows 11
There is no setting that allows you to change the default directory if you start CMD from Start or Run. However, there is a workaround to force CMD to start in any directory you want it to. You can create a shortcut pointing to cmd.exe and configure the Start in field to any directory you want the command prompt to start in. Here’s how to do it.
In the Create Shortcut wizard, enter the path to cmd.exe, in most cases, it should be in “C:WINDOWSsystem32cmd.exe“. Change the C: drive if your Windows is installed on a different drive. Click Next to continue. Give your shortcut any name you like and click Finish to complete the wizard.
Next, right-click the newly created shortcut and select Properties. Then, go to the Shortcut tab. In the Start in field, enter the default directory where you want CMD to start in when you open this shortcut. Click OK to save the changes.
Whenever you open CMD through this shortcut, Command Prompt will automatically start in the directory you’ve entered in the “Start in” field earlier.
Cd is the abbreviation or synonym for chdir. It is a command found inside the Windows Command Processor (cmd) that allows for change of the current working directory of a shell instance. The CWD (Current Working Directory) is a path (of a directory) inside the file system, where the shell is currently working. The current working directory is essential for resolving relative paths. Cd is a generic command found in the Command Interpreter of most operating systems.
Description of the Command :Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive. Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory. Use the /D switch to change the current drive in addition to changing the current directory for a drive.
Using the Command :
Формат командной строки:
Команда CD без параметров отображает имена текущих диска и каталога.
Параметр /D используется для одновременной смены текущих диска и каталога.
Изменение команды CHDIR при включении расширенной обработки команд:
Имя текущего каталога в строке вызова преобразуется к тому же регистру
символов, что и для существующих имен на диске. Так, команда CD C:TEMP
или cd c: emp на самом деле сделает текущим каталог C:Temp, если он существует на диске.
Команда CHDIR перестает рассматривать пробелы как разделители, что позволяет
перейти в подкаталог, имя которого содержит пробелы, не заключая все имя
каталога в кавычки. Например:
приводит к тому же результату, что и:
При отключении расширенной обработки команд нужно использовать путь, заключенный в двойные кавычки.
CD /D X:data – сделать текущим каталог data на диске X: . Результат использование ключа /D зависит от версии команды. Для того чтобы сменить текущий каталог, на каталог, размещенный на другом диске, надежнее использовать последовательность команд смены текущего диска и смены каталога:
X: – сделать текущим диском диск X:
CD X:DATA – сделать текущим каталогом X:DATA
CD %WINDIR% – сделать текущим каталогом каталог, каталог, задаваемый значением
переменной среды %WINDIR% (каталог Windows) . При использовании переменных, желательно их имена заключать в двойные кавычки, поскольку принимаемые значения могут содержать пробелы:
CD “%TEMP%”
CD C: – перейти в корневой каталог диска C: . Если в параметре команды задан путь без указания диска, по предполагается, что переход выполняется в каталог, расположенный относительно текущего на данный момент времени :
CD system32 – перейти в каталог system32, являющийся подкаталогом текущего каталога
CD . – если вместо имени каталога заданы две точки, то будет выполнен переход в родительский каталог ( на один уровень вверх).
If you frequently work with the Command Prompt or PowerShell, you may need to copy files from or to an external drive, at such, and many other times, you may need to display the drives within the console window. In this post, we will show you how you can list drives using Command Prompt or PowerShell in Windows 11/10/8/7.
If you need to simply list the drives, you may use WMIC. Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is the infrastructure for management data and operations on Windows-based operating systems.
Press Enter and you will see the list of Drives.
get , , description
It will show mapped drives too.
You can also use to get a list of drives along with some more details. The Diskpart utility can do everything that the Disk Management console can do, and more! It’s invaluable for scriptwriters or anyone who simply prefers working at a command prompt.
You will see that the console displays the Volume number and letter, label, formatting type, partition type, size, status, and other information.
List Hard Drives using PowerShell
To display drives using PowerShell, type in the same CMD windows and hit Enter. This will open a PowerShell window.
Hope this helps.
Now see how you can get a list of all Device Drivers using Command Prompt.
TIP: You can resize a Partition even if Disk Management fails using DISKPART and FSUTIL command-line tools for Disk Management.
How to use Diskpart command in Windows 11/10?
Diskpart runs in its own space, so when you run the command, you will not be able to use the regular commands but only the Diskpart commands.
Note: Be aware if you choose to delete anything, it cannot be recovered.
Few Basic Commands to Start With Diskpart
Once you are inside Diskpart, type List Disk, this will list down all the connected storage, including hard drives, USB storage, SD card, or anything else connected to the PC.
How Do I Delete a Volume or Partition?
Post this; a confirmation message will show up that Diskpart has successfully deleted the volume. That said, you cannot delete System or Boot Volume. If you are unable to delete it, make sure to read this guide.
How Do I Assign Drive Letter to a Hidden Partition?
If a partition can be seen in the Diskpart tool but is not available through the File Explorer, then it’s because there is no drive letter assigned to it.
Make sure that the assigned alphabet is not already in use.
How to Reduce the Size of a partition?
Before we move ahead, be aware that this is a very long process. Until the process is complete, the drive will be almost useless.
This works for the NTFS file system only.
Read: Fix Diskpart failed to clear disk attributes.
How to Erase a Disk using Diskpart Clean Command?
Make sure not to use the clean all command; it will remove all partitions of the selected disk. Also, it will take an hour or so, depending on the disk size, as it will perform a secure erase.
Free Alternatives to Windows Diskpart Utility
These are third-party software that offers a better interface and features compared to Diskpart. In fact, you get to see a preview of the change before the change is committed. Here is a quick list:
I hope you were able to understand how to use it, the list of commands Diskpart houses, and alternatives to Windows Diskpart software that you can use for a better experience.
Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008
The diskpart command interpreter helps you manage your computer’s drives (disks, partitions, volumes, or virtual hard disks).
Before you can use diskpart commands, you must first list, and then select an object to give it focus. After an object has focus, any diskpart commands that you type will act on that object.
Determine focus
When you select an object, the focus remains on that object until you select a different object. For example, if the focus is set on disk 0 and you select volume 8 on disk 2, the focus shifts from disk 0 to disk 2, volume 8.
Some commands automatically change the focus. For example, when you create a new partition, the focus automatically switches to the new partition.
You can only give focus to a partition on the selected disk. After a partition has focus, the related volume (if any) also has focus. After a volume has focus, the related disk and partition also have focus if the volume maps to a single specific partition. If this isn’t the case, focus on the disk and partition are lost.
Syntax
To start the diskpart command interpreter, at the command prompt type:
Parameters
After you run the list command, an asterisk (*) appears next to the object of focus.
Examples
To see available disk(s), run list disk:
Before disk 1 can be utilized, a partition will need to be created by running create partition primary:
Lastly, we can perform a quick format of disk 1 to NTFS with the label “Backup” by running format fs=ntfs label=Backup quick as seen below:
Related links
Storage is organised as Disks, Partitions, Volumes and Virtual Disks, Where
This article provides different set of commands that can be used to list Disks, partitions, and Volumes on Windows
Using Wmic Command
wmic
diskdrive get
List the volume drive letters using wmic
wmic logicaldisk get name
wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, description
wmic logicaldisk get caption
Using FsUtil
List drive information using “fsutil”
fsutil fsinfo drives
Using Diskpart Command
Or, we can use the diskpart
To list the disks
To list volumes
List the partition, but you need to select the one of the disk using disk number
list disk using command “list disk”
For suppose select the disk 0 and list partitions
make sure appropriate disk is selected to check partitions on selected disk using command “list partition” .
List Drives using PowerShell
List the drives using “PowerShell” using “get-psdrive” command
get-psdrive -psprovider filesystem
get-volume command on PowerShell gives the output of volumes on computer
Command mountvol
Command mountvol can be used to create, delete or list a volume mount points
List drives and mount points using command mountvol
![[How-to] Format Disk from MBR to GPT with DiskPart in Windows 10](https://msconfig.ru/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/diskpart-clean-format-120x120.jpg "[How-to] Format Disk from MBR to GPT with DiskPart in Windows 10")
