How do I start all shell sessions in a directory other than $HOME?

Question

When I open my non-login shell in Ubuntu, my present working directory is /home/user_name (my $HOME environment variable), but I want to change this such that when I start my terminal I am in some other directory.

I have read that when I start my terminal in Ubuntu a .bashrc file is sourced. So I added

export HOME=/home/user_name/Documents 

to my .bashrc file. Now, when I open my terminal I am still in /home/user_name directory.

How can I change this?

Answer 1

First of all, remove that line from your .bashrc. The way to do this in not by playing with $HOME, that variable will always point to your home directory and you don't want to change that just so your shells start in a different place.

I'm sure there will be a more elegant way to do this but as a temporary workaround you can simply add this line to your .bashrc:

cd ~/Documents 

Since that file is read every time you start a new non-login shell (open a new terminal), the cd command will be executed and your terminals will start at ~/Documents as you desire.

Answer 2

The terminal will start in the working directory it inherits from its parent.

However, some allow to override it via configuration settings.

With gnome-terminal, you can edit your profile, tick run a custom command instead of my shell and make it:

sh -c 'cd ~/Documents; exec "${SHELL:-sh}"'

Answer 3

Here's what I put in my ~/.bash_profile:

alias curDir="pwd | sed -e 's/ /\\ /'"
alias save='echo `curDir` > ~/.saved_dir'
alias saved='cd `cat ~/.saved_dir`'
saved

and I rely on this all the time. Basically, when I'm working on some project, I'll save a main directory for it and then every subsequent session starts there. Then when I change projects or whatever, I'll just save somewhere else.

I found this question when looking for a better way, but what I've got is preferable to me than hardcoding one particular directory.

Answer 4

For those that are looking at where the .bashrc file is, generally it is a hidden file in home directory.

To find it:

Open your terminal and go to the home directory, and then:

ls -al

to show the all hidden files. Now you will be able to see your .bashrc file.

In order to change default directory

1. Open .bashrc file in your text editor by entering the command:

   gedit .bashrc
   

2. Edit this file by adding your command in last, like:

   cd ~/YourDirectoryName
   

3. Save the file and restart the terminal.

Answer 5

Think about modifying /etc/passwd and change your default home directory