`_chdrive`

Article
12/02/2022

Changes the current working drive.

Important

This API cannot be used in applications that execute in the Windows Runtime. For more information, see CRT functions not supported in Universal Windows Platform apps.

Syntax

int _chdrive(
   int drive
);

Parameters

drive
An integer from 1 through 26 that specifies the current working drive (1=A, 2=B, and so forth).

Return value

Zero (0) if the current working drive was changed successfully; otherwise, -1.

Remarks

If drive isn't in the range from 1 through 26, the invalid-parameter handler is invoked as described in Parameter validation. If execution is allowed to continue, the _chdrive function returns -1, errno is set to EACCES, and _doserrno is set to ERROR_INVALID_DRIVE.

The _chdrive function isn't thread-safe because it depends on the SetCurrentDirectory function, which is itself not thread-safe. To use _chdrive safely in a multi-threaded application, you must provide your own thread synchronization. For more information, see SetCurrentDirectory.

The _chdrive function changes only the current working drive; _chdir changes the current working directory.

By default, this function's global state is scoped to the application. To change this behavior, see Global state in the CRT.

Requirements

Routine	Required header
`_chdrive`	<direct.h>

For more information, see Compatibility.

Example

See the example for _getdrive.