.NET Framework Class Library
Directory..::.GetCurrentDirectory Method

Gets the current working directory of the application.

Namespace:  System.IO
Assembly:  mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Shared Function GetCurrentDirectory As String
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim returnValue As String

returnValue = Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()
C#
public static string GetCurrentDirectory()
Visual C++
public:
static String^ GetCurrentDirectory()
JScript
public static function GetCurrentDirectory() : String

Return Value

Type: System..::.String
A string containing the path of the current working directory.
Exceptions

ExceptionCondition
UnauthorizedAccessException

The caller does not have the required permission.

NotSupportedException

The operating system is Windows CE, which does not have current directory functionality.

This method is available in the .NET Compact Framework, but is not currently supported.

Remarks

The current directory is distinct from the original directory, which is the one from which the process was started.

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows CE Platform Note: Because some mobile device operating systems do not have current directory functionality, this method is not supported. For more information, see How to: Get the Application Directory.

Examples

The following code example demonstrates the GetCurrentDirectory method.

Visual Basic
Imports System
Imports System.IO

Public Class Test
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        Try
            ' Get the current directory.
            Dim path As String = Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()
            Dim target As String = "c:\temp"
            Console.WriteLine("The current directory is {0}", path)
            If Directory.Exists(target) = False Then
                Directory.CreateDirectory(target)
            End If
            ' Change the current directory.
            Environment.CurrentDirectory = (target)
            If path.Equals(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()) Then
                Console.WriteLine("You are in the temp directory.")
            Else
                Console.WriteLine("You are not in the temp directory.")
            End If
        Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString())
        End Try
    End Sub
End Class
C#
using System;
using System.IO;

class Test 
{
    public static void Main() 
    {
        try 
        {
            // Get the current directory.
            string path = Directory.GetCurrentDirectory();
            string target = @"c:\temp";
            Console.WriteLine("The current directory is {0}", path);
            if (!Directory.Exists(target)) 
            {
                Directory.CreateDirectory(target);
            }

            // Change the current directory.
            Environment.CurrentDirectory = (target);
            if (path.Equals(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory())) 
            {
                Console.WriteLine("You are in the temp directory.");
            } 
            else 
            {
                Console.WriteLine("You are not in the temp directory.");
            }
        } 
        catch (Exception e) 
        {
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString());
        }
    }
}
Visual C++
using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
int main()
{
   try
   {

      // Get the current directory.
      String^ path = Directory::GetCurrentDirectory();
      String^ target = "c:\\temp";
      Console::WriteLine( "The current directory is {0}", path );
      if (  !Directory::Exists( target ) )
      {
         Directory::CreateDirectory( target );
      }

      // Change the current directory.
      Environment::CurrentDirectory = target;
      if ( path->Equals( Directory::GetCurrentDirectory() ) )
      {
         Console::WriteLine( "You are in the temp directory." );
      }
      else
      {
         Console::WriteLine( "You are not in the temp directory." );
      }
   }
   catch ( Exception^ e ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "The process failed: {0}", e );
   }

}

.NET Framework Security

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Xbox 360, Zune

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Compact Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 2.0, 1.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: 3.0, 2.0, 1.0
See Also

Reference

Other Resources

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