chdir

Section: System Calls (2)
Updated: 2026-02-08
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NAME

chdir, fchdir - change working directory  

LIBRARY

Standard C library (libc,~-lc)  

SYNOPSIS

#include <unistd.h>
int chdir(const char *path);
int fchdir(int fd);

Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)): fchdir():

    _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 500
        || /* Since glibc 2.12: */ _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200809L
        || /* glibc up to and including 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE

 

DESCRIPTION

chdir() changes the current working directory of the calling process to the directory specified in path. fchdir() is identical to chdir(); the only difference is that the directory is given as an open file descriptor.  

RETURN VALUE

On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to indicate the error.  

ERRORS

Depending on the filesystem, other errors can be returned. The more general errors for chdir() are listed below:

EACCES

Search permission is denied for one of the components of path. (See also path_resolution(7).)

EFAULT

path points outside your accessible address space.

EIO

An I/O error occurred.

ELOOP

Too many symbolic links were encountered in resolving path.

ENAMETOOLONG

path is too long.

ENOENT

The directory specified in path does not exist.

ENOMEM

Insufficient kernel memory was available.

ENOTDIR

A component of path is not a directory. The general errors for fchdir() are listed below:

EACCES

Search permission was denied on the directory open on fd.

EBADF

fd is not a valid file descriptor.

ENOTDIR

fd does not refer to a directory.

 

STANDARDS

POSIX.1-2024.  

HISTORY

chdir()

SVr4, POSIX.1-1988, 4.4BSD.

fchdir()

SVr4, 4.4BSD, SUSv1, POSIX.1-2001 XSI, POSIX.1-2008.

 

NOTES

The current working directory is the starting point for interpreting relative pathnames (those not starting with [aq]/[aq]). A child process created via fork(2) inherits its parent's current working directory. The current working directory is left unchanged by execve(2).  

SEE ALSO

chroot(2), getcwd(3), path_resolution(7)

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Index

NAME

LIBRARY

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

RETURN VALUE

ERRORS

STANDARDS

HISTORY

NOTES

SEE ALSO