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The right way to change Command Prompt’s starting folder in Windows 11 depends on how you open it. For a persistent change in Windows Terminal, edit the Command Prompt profile’s startingDirectory setting. For a one-time launch, use wt -d; in a prompt that is already open, use cd /d.
Choose the method that matches how you open Command Prompt
- Windows Terminal profile: Set that profile’s starting directory to make new tabs opened with it start in your chosen folder.
- One-time Windows Terminal launch: Run
wt -d "D:Work"to open Terminal at that location without changing the saved profile. - Already-open Command Prompt: Run
cd /d "D:Work"to change the current prompt’s drive and directory. - Direct cmd.exe launch: Run
cmd.exe /k "cd /d D:Work"to change directory and keep the prompt open.
These options have different scopes: a profile setting affects launches through that Terminal profile; a command changes only the current or specified launch. Avoid changing the broader cmd.exe startup behavior unless you specifically need it.
Set a persistent starting directory in Windows Terminal
- Open Windows Terminal and open Settings.
- Select the Command Prompt profile. If its command line has been customized, confirm it is the profile you actually use.
- Set Starting directory to the folder you want, then save the setting.
- Open a new tab using the Command Prompt profile to check that it starts in the chosen folder.
You can also edit the profile in settings.json. Add a property such as:
"startingDirectory": "C:\Users\YourName\Documents"In JSON, each backslash in a Windows path must be escaped. Microsoft describes startingDirectory as the directory where the shell starts when loaded. If you do not define it, the documented default is %USERPROFILE%, but the launch context can change the result. Microsoft lists %WINDIR%System32 for a Start-menu launch, %USERPROFILE% for wt.exe launched through Run, and the folder currently viewed when Terminal is opened from File Explorer’s address bar. See Microsoft’s Windows Terminal profile settings.
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Use Terminal’s Settings UI where possible. If you edit a file directly, edit the active settings.json, not the generated defaults.json; changes to that generated file are ignored. Microsoft documents settings file locations for packaged and unpackaged Windows Terminal installations.
Use a one-time launch or change the current prompt
Open Windows Terminal at a folder once
Run wt -d "D:Work" from a Run dialog, another command prompt, or another command launcher. Replace the example path with the folder you want. The -d argument sets the starting directory for that launch; it does not change the saved profile default. See Microsoft’s Windows Terminal command-line arguments.
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Change directory in an open Command Prompt
Enter:
cd /d "D:Work Files"The /d switch changes both the current drive and directory, which matters when moving between drives. Quoting paths containing spaces makes the intended path clear. Microsoft documents this behavior in the Windows cd command reference.
Launch cmd.exe and leave it open in the folder
Use:
cmd.exe /k "cd /d D:Work Files"The /k switch runs the command and keeps Command Prompt running. Use quotation marks around the path when it contains spaces, for example cmd.exe /k "cd /d "D:Work Files"" when entering a command line that requires the path’s embedded quotes. Command-line quoting rules vary depending on the program that launches the command, so if that form fails, launch cmd.exe first and then enter cd /d "D:Work Files". See Microsoft’s cmd command reference.
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If another command launches a separate Command Prompt and you need to set its startup folder, Microsoft documents start /d <path> as the startup-directory option. See the start command reference.
Understand what “default” means for each launch
Windows Terminal’s defaultProfile chooses which profile opens when Terminal starts; it does not set that profile’s folder. The profile’s startingDirectory sets the folder. Changing one setting does not substitute for the other. The distinction is documented in Microsoft’s profile settings reference.
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For direct cmd.exe launches, Windows also supports Command Processor AutoRun registry entries. Unless cmd.exe is started with /d, it checks machine-wide and current-user AutoRun values and executes configured commands. That is a broader startup mechanism than changing one Terminal profile, so inspect existing startup behavior before altering it. Microsoft describes AutoRun and the /d option in the cmd reference.
Troubleshoot a folder that changes back
- Confirm the active profile: Make sure you edited the Command Prompt profile used by the tab or shortcut you open.
- Check for startup commands: A profile command line, shell script, or other startup code can change directory after Terminal applies
startingDirectory. - Separate profile selection from folder selection: Confirm
defaultProfileselects the intended profile and that the profile’s ownstartingDirectoryis correct.
Microsoft notes that shell code can change the location after Terminal applies the starting-directory setting; see its Windows Terminal troubleshooting guidance.
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