cd without typing full paths

Moving Between Folders

Now that you know where you are (pwd) and what's here (ls), you need to know how to move somewhere else.

The command is cd — which stands for "change directory." Type cd, then a space, then the folder name.

Try It: Move to Your Desktop

1

Type this to move to your Desktop folder:

cd Desktop

2

Notice your prompt changed — it now shows Desktop instead of ~

3

Confirm with pwd if you want — it'll show the full path

4

See what's on your Desktop:

ls

Shortcuts That Save Typing

You don't always need to type the full path. Here are shortcuts:

cd ~

Go Home

The ~ symbol means "my home folder." Takes you back instantly.

cd ..

Go Up One Level

Two dots mean "parent folder." If you're in Documents, this takes you to your home folder.

cd -

Go Back

A dash means "the folder I was just in." Like an undo for navigation.

The Finder Shortcut: Drag and Drop

Here's a trick that saves tons of typing: you can drag a file or folder from Finder directly into Terminal, and it will paste the full path for you.

1

Type cd (with a space after it)

2

Drag any folder from Finder and drop it onto the Terminal window

3

Press Enter — you're now in that folder

This works for any command that needs a path. Dragging a file into Terminal is often faster than typing.

Copy Path from Finder

There's another way to get a path without typing it:

1

In Finder, right-click any file or folder

2

Hold Option — watch the menu change

3

Click "Copy as Pathname"

4

Paste (Cmd + V) into Terminal

The "Copy as Pathname" option only appears when you hold Option while right-clicking. Without Option, you'll just see regular "Copy."

cd moves you to a folder. Use ~ for home, .. for up, - for back. Or skip typing entirely: drag folders from Finder, or copy paths with Option + right-click.