pwd

Overview

pwd (print working directory) writes the absolute path of the current directory. Shells often implement pwd as a builtin that can show a logical path (may include symlink components via $PWD) or a physical path (symlinks resolved).

Use it after deep navigation, in scripts that log context, and whenever logical vs physical paths matter (bind mounts, symlinked project roots).

Syntax

pwd [options]

Common Options

Option	Description
-L	Logical path ($PWD; may retain symlink names) — often default for the builtin
-P	Physical path (resolve all symlinks)
--help	Help (external /bin/pwd)

help pwd documents the bash builtin; man pwd documents the external binary. Behavior can differ slightly.

Key Use Cases

1. Confirm location after many cds
2. Capture cwd in scripts and logs
3. Compare logical vs physical paths through symlink trees
4. Build absolute paths for configs and tooling
5. Debug “wrong directory” issues in containers and chroots

Examples with Explanations

Basics

pwd
pwd -P
pwd -L
type pwd                 # builtin or external?
/bin/pwd -P              # force external binary

Capture in scripts

current_dir=$(pwd)
current_dir=$PWD           # logical; no subprocess
phys=$(pwd -P)
echo "running in $phys"

Prefer "$PWD" when you want the logical path without spawning a process; call pwd -P when you need the real path.

Symlink illustration

mkdir -p /tmp/realdir
ln -sfn /tmp/realdir /tmp/linkdir
cd /tmp/linkdir
pwd -L    # often /tmp/linkdir
pwd -P    # /tmp/realdir
ls -ld .  # may still show link path depending on tools

Prompt and logging recipes

# Show physical path in a custom prompt experiment
PS1='\u@\h $(pwd -P)$ '

# Log absolute cwd with a command
echo "$(date -Is) cwd=$(pwd -P) cmd=$*" >> ~/cmd.log

Resolve then act

# Ensure absolute before relative ops
cd "$(pwd)/subdir"

# Physical home resolution
cd -P ~
pwd -P

# Fail if cwd vanished (deleted out from under the shell)
pwd -P || echo "cwd invalid"

Compare with realpath

pwd -P
realpath .
realpath -e .

realpath . is often equivalent to physical cwd; realpath also works on arbitrary paths, not just cwd.

Directory stack awareness

pushd /var/log >/dev/null
pwd
popd >/dev/null
pwd
dirs -v

Notes / Pitfalls

• Builtin vs /bin/pwd can disagree on default -L/-P semantics; check type pwd and help pwd.
• If the directory was deleted while you were inside it, pwd may error or show a stale $PWD.
• Don’t mix logical and physical paths blindly in scripts (e.g. cd by logical path, then pwd -P for logs).
• cd following symlinks leaves a logical path unless you use cd -P or set -o physical (bash).
• In subshells, cwd changes don’t affect the parent: (cd /tmp && pwd) vs later pwd.

2026-relevant notes

• Containers: WORKDIR in the image defines initial cwd; pwd inside the container reflects that namespace’s mounts.
• Network filesystems and bind mounts: physical paths help correlate with host mounts (findmnt, df).
• Pair with realpath for file paths; reserve pwd for directory context.

Related Commands

• cd — change directory
• realpath — resolve arbitrary paths
• readlink -f — canonical path (GNU)
• dirname / basename — split path components
• ls — list contents
• findmnt — what is mounted where

Additional Resources

• help pwd (bash), man pwd