Navigate to previous directory in windows command prompt

Question

Is there any command / tool to navigate previous directory in windows command prompt?

In linux usually use

cd -

for previous directory navigation.

Answer 1

Save the following to eg. mycd.bat somewhere in your path:

@echo off
if '%*'=='' cd & exit /b
if '%*'=='-' (
    cd /d %OLDPWD%
    set OLDPWD=%cd%
) else (
    cd /d %*
    if not errorlevel 1 set OLDPWD=%cd%
)

Then always remember to use mycd instead of cd to change directories and drives.

Alternatively, use a doskey macro:

C:\>doskey cd=mycd $*

The only caveat is if you omit the space between cd and .. or \, you will get the builtin version of cd not the doskey macro... and you still have to remember not to use C:, D: etc. to change drive.

Answer 2

You can use pushd and popd:

C:\WINDOWS>pushd \
C:\>popd
C:\WINDOWS>

Answer 3

If you want the exact behavior of bash, why not use bash? I have cygwin installed and it is very nice. It doesn't make you stick to its UNIX tools - it will happily call any windows executable. For cmd.exe builtins you can create an alias:

hugh@comp07 ~/testdir                             
$ alias cm='cmd /c'                               

hugh@comp07 ~/testdir                             
$ cm dir                                          
 Volume in drive C has no label.                  
 Volume Serial Number is AC2A-8378                

 Directory of C:\cygwin\home\hugh\testdir         

18/05/2010  02:02 PM    <DIR>          .          
18/05/2010  02:02 PM    <DIR>          ..         
               0 File(s)              0 bytes     
               2 Dir(s)   1,365,155,840 bytes free

hugh@comp07 ~/testdir                             
$ 

Answer 4

There's a freeware cmd clone with extra features including cd - called Take Command Console LE.

Answer 5

if you are running the batch file you can use

  cd /D  %~dp0

This will jump back to the original path from where the batch file was run

Answer 6

You could do this using Windows Powershell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_PowerShell

Here's how: http://windows-powershell-scripts.blogspot.com/2009/07/cd-change-to-previous-working-directory.html

Answer 7

Perhaps this is what you are looking for.

If you have:

C:\Users\John Doe> 

and you want to go back to C:\, just type:

C:\Users\John Doe>cd C:\

Result:

C:\

Answer 8

Depending what your goal is, you could just start a new cmd session by doing 'cmd', move directory and do whatever you want, when you then do 'exit' to leave the session you'll be back in the directory you were when you started the new session.