Navigate to Users folder from System32 in Cmd


👤 Diwas Poudel    🕒 13 Mar 2023    📁 TECH

The navigation features in the Command Prompt are very helpful. If you are currently in the system32 path in the command prompt and you are wise to return to the Users folder, then if you may have difficulties, then you are on the right path.

Ourtechroom will guide you through various techniques for How to navigate to the Users folder quickly and easily from the System32 folder.

What is the System32 folder?

The system32 directory is a specialized folder that contains files and folders which is essential for the operation of Windows OS. It stores Windows system files and software program files.

What is a Users Folder?

The User Profile Folder is created for each user account that you have in your Windows system. It stores essential information such as documents, pictures, downloads, and other personal data.

Note: For the purposes of this demonstration, I'm going to assume that your OS is installed on the C: drive.

Why navigate to User Folder?

When you need to view user-specific files or folders on your Windows computer, you may need to navigate from System32 to User. The User folder includes a computer user's personal files, settings, and other data. This folder contains user-specific files and options.

To find a configuration or log file for a program that is only in the user's profile, you may need to go to the User folder. A user's desktop file may be in the User folder's Desktop area. Navigating to the User area can help with user account issues and data access.

Ways of Navigating to the Users Folder From the System32 Folder

Here are a few ways to navigate to the Users Folder from the System32 folder.

1 Using Absolute Path

If you begin a path in the command prompt with a backslash, it is considered an "absolute path.".We mainly use a backslash("/") for navigating paths for Windows Files and Folders.

Suppose you are currently in the System32 folder and wise to navigate to the Users folder then simply type as below.

C:\Windows\System32> cd /Users 

Note that: Command Prompt is noncase sensitive. So, Users, users, USers, etc are all treated in the same way.

cd user
fig. Navigate to the Users Folder 

If you want to view the content inside Users then just type:

C:\Users> dir
dir-user-profile
fig. View content inside Users folder

In Windows Environment, forward-slash("\") also works well as shown below.

C:\Windows\System32> cd \Users 

What will happens if no backslash or forward slash?

If you type without backslash then will get an error because in this case command prompt will treat it as a relative path

C:\Windows\Sytem32> cd Users 
The system cannot find the path specified. 

This means you are trying to find the Users folder inside the System32 folder which does not exist ie. C:\Windows\System32\Users does not exist.

Also read: How do I navigate to a desktop in Windows CMD?

2 Using Relative Path (Tranvesing Techniques)

As we know that Users folder is located inside C: drive. So When you want to get to the users' folder path from System32, all you have to do is go up two levels.

Example:

C:\Windows\System32> cd ..\..\Users 

Navigating from any current path to Users Folder

For example, if you're in the D: drive in the command prompt and want to go back to the user's directory, the steps are very straightforward. You first have to navigate to C: folder and then type cd /Users as usual.

E:\Tutorials> c: 
C:\Windows\System32> cd \Users 

Currently, I am in the Tutorials folder of E: drive, so first type C: for navigating to C and then type cd \Users. If you are using Windows 11 then simply typing C: will navigate you to the Users folder.

Also read: How to open web URL using Powershell and Command line?

FAQ:

How to find the Current User Profile Path using Command Prompt?

For this, we use user profile environment variables. You can navigate to the current user profile path by simply typing the below code in Command Prompt:

cd %userprofile% 

%Userprofile% refers to the path “C:\Users\yourusername\"