theshell.ch/site/pages/fs/PWD.html

---
layout: page
category_title: File System
category-page: fs
tags: working directory current position where
author: Mirko Ponzio
title: PWD
---

<h2>Description</h2>
<p>
<code>PWD</code> (abbreviation of print working directory, it gives you the
corrent directory) it is a command of the operation system Unix and Unix-like,
and in general of the systems POSIX, that show on the standard output the
absolute pathname on the corrent directory.
Since a command line interface cannot provide graphic pictures of the file
system structure, it must have a different way of representing it.
Think of the file system tree as a maze, and you are standing in it. At any
given moment, you are located in a single directory.
Inside that directory, you can see its files and the pathway to its parent
directory and the pathways to the subdirectories of the directory in which you
are standing.
</p>
<p>
The working directory is the directory where you are standing in. So for
knowing where you are, you must use the pwd command.
</p>


<h2>Options</h2>
<p>
<ul>
<li> -L :      Display the logical current working directory.</li>

<li>-P :   Display the physical current working directory (all symbolic
        links resolved).</li>
</ul>
<br><br>
If no options are specified, the -L option is assumed.</p>



<h2> Examples <h2>