Pwd Command in Linux (Current Working Directory)

What is pwd?

The pwd command stands for “Print Working Directory”. It shows the full path to your current directory — i.e., where you are located in the filesystem.

Syntax

pwd [OPTION]

The command is simple and usually run without options.

Basic Usage

pwd

Output Example:

/home/username/Documents

This tells you that you're currently inside the Documents directory of the user username.

Why Use pwd?

• To know your current location in the terminal

• Helps with navigating complex directory structures

• Useful in scripts for debugging paths

Step-by-Step Examples

Step 1: Open Terminal

Start your terminal on any Linux distribution.

Step 2: Run pwd

pwd

Shows the current full directory path.

Step 3: Change Directory & Use pwd

cd /etc
pwd

Output:

/etc

Now you know you are inside the /etc directory.

Step 4: Use with Other Commands

You can combine pwd with other commands in scripts:

echo "You are in: $(pwd)"

Options with pwd

The most common usage is without options, but you may come across:

Option	Description
-L	(Logical) Shows the logical path (default)
-P	(Physical) Resolves symlinks to show real path

Example:

pwd -P

Real Use Cases

• Find your location in a nested folder:

  cd /var/log/apache2
  pwd
  

• Add path to logs or scripts:

  echo "Current Path: $(pwd)" >> mylog.txt
  

Summary

Command	Description
pwd	Shows current working directory
pwd -P	Shows physical path (resolves links)
pwd -L	Shows logical path (default)

Let me know if you'd like this as a printable cheat sheet or if you need a practice exercise using pwd, cd, and ls together!