The Linux pwd command (and Linux command line prompts)

Linux current directory FAQ: How do I show what directory I'm currently in on a Unix or Linux system?

Just use the Unix/Linux pwd command, like this:

pwd

If you're in a directory named /home/al, the output looks like this:

$ pwd
/home/al

If you're in a directory named /tmp, the output looks like this:

$ pwd
/tmp

That's all there is to the pwd command.

Putting the current directory in your Linux prompt

In the old days we had to type this command all the time, but in these more modern times we can just display the current directory in our prompt symbol by setting it like this:

PS1='$PWD> '

Note that it's very important to use single quotes in this command and not double quotes.

Myself, I prefer a longer, multiline Linux prompt, so I put this PS1 setting in my ~/.bash_profile file on my Unix and Linux systems:

PS1='
$PWD
==> '

This gives me a prompt like this, which I prefer, especially with longer directories:

/Users/al/foo/bar/baz
==> _