Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025
os.chdir() method in Python is used to change the current working directory to the specified path. This function is part of the os module, which provides functionalities to interact with the operating system.
Example of os.chdir() Python
import os
# Check the current working directory
print(os.getcwd())
# Change the current working directory
os.chdir("/path/to/new/directory")
# Verify the directory change
print(os.getcwd())
Output:
OutputExplanation:
os.getcwd()
function retrieves the current working directory.os.chdir()
changes the working directory to the specified path.os.chdir()
Syntax
os.chdir(path)
Parameters:
path
: A string representing the path to the directory you want to set as the current working directory. This can be either an absolute path (e.g., /home/user/docs
) or a relative path (e.g., ../newdir
).os.chdir("/usr/local/bin") command changes the working directory to the absolute path /usr/local/bin. After the directory change, os.getcwd() is used to confirm the change and print the current directory, which should now be /usr/local/bin.
Python
import os
# Changing to an absolute path
os.chdir("/usr/local/bin")
print(os.getcwd())
Output:
Output Using a Relative Pathos.chdir("..") uses a relative path, which moves the working directory up one level. The .. represents the parent directory. After changing the directory, os.getcwd() will print the new directory, which should be the parent of the current directory.
Python
import os
# Change directory using a relative path
os.chdir("..") # Move one level up
print(os.getcwd())
Output:
Output Switching Between DirectoriesIn this we first store the current directory in the variable initial_dir using os.getcwd(). The directory is then changed to /tmp using os.chdir("/tmp"). The new working directory is printed with os.getcwd().
Python
import os
# Store the initial directory
initial_dir = os.getcwd()
# Change to a new directory
os.chdir("/tmp")
print("After Changing:", os.getcwd())
# Revert to the initial directory
os.chdir(initial_dir)
print("Reverted Back:", os.getcwd())
Output:
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