Get-Location
Gets information about the current working location or a location stack.
Syntax
Get-Location
[-PSProvider <String[]>]
[-PSDrive <String[]>]
[<CommonParameters>]
Get-Location
[-Stack]
[-StackName <String[]>]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
The Get-Location
cmdlet gets an object that represents the current directory, much like the print
working directory (pwd) command.
When you move between PowerShell drives, PowerShell retains your location in each drive. You can use this cmdlet to find your location in each drive.
You can use this cmdlet to get the current directory at run time and use it in functions and scripts, such as in a function that displays the current directory in the PowerShell prompt.
You can also use this cmdlet to display the locations in a location stack. For more information, see the Notes and the descriptions of the Stack and StackName parameters.
Examples
Example 1: Display your current drive location
This command displays your location in the current PowerShell drive.
PS C:\Windows> Get-Location
Path
----
C:\Windows
For instance, if you are in the Windows
directory of the C:
drive, it displays the path to that
directory.
Example 2: Display your current location for different drives
This example demonstrates the use of Get-Location
to display your current location in different
PowerShell drives. Set-Location
is used to change the location to several different paths on
different PSDrives.
PS C:\> Set-Location C:\Windows
PS C:\Windows> Set-Location HKLM:\Software\Microsoft
PS HKLM:\Software\Microsoft> Set-Location "HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method"
PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method> Get-Location -PSDrive C
Path
----
C:\Windows
PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method> Get-Location -PSDrive HKLM
Path
----
HKLM:\Software\Microsoft
PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method> Set-Location C:
PS C:\Windows> Get-Location -PSProvider Registry
Path
----
HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method
Example 3: Get locations using stacks
This example shows how to use the Stack and StackName parameters of Get-Location
to list
the locations in the current location stack and alternate location stacks.
The Push-Location
cmdlet is used to change into three different locations. The third push uses a
different stack name. The Stack parameter of Get-Location
displays the contents of the default
stack. The StackName parameter of Get-Location
displays the contents of the stack named
Stack2
.
PS C:\> Push-Location C:\Windows
PS C:\Windows>Push-Location System32
PS C:\Windows\System32>Push-Location WindowsPowerShell -StackName Stack2
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell>Get-Location -Stack
Path
----
C:\Windows
C:\
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell>Get-Location -StackName Stack2
Path
----
C:\Windows\System32
Example 4: Customize the PowerShell prompt
This example shows how to customize the PowerShell prompt.
PS C:\>
function prompt { 'PowerShell: ' + (Get-Location) + '> '}
PowerShell: C:\>
The function that defines the prompt includes a Get-Location
command, which is run whenever the
prompt appears in the console.
The format of the default PowerShell prompt is defined by a special function named prompt
. You can
change the prompt in your console by creating a new function named prompt
.
To see the current prompt function, type the following command: Get-Content Function:\prompt
Parameters
-PSDrive
Gets the current location in the specified PowerShell drive.
For instance, if you are in the Cert:
drive, you can use this parameter to find your
current location in the C:
drive.
Type: | String[] |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-PSProvider
Gets the current location in the drive supported by the specified PowerShell provider. If the specified provider supports more than one drive, this cmdlet returns the location on the most recently accessed drive.
For example, if you are in the C:
drive, you can use this parameter to find your current location
in the drives of the PowerShell Registry provider.
Type: | String[] |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Stack
Indicates that this cmdlet displays the locations added to the current location stack. You can add
locations to stacks by using the Push-Location
cmdlet.
To display the locations in a different location stack, use the StackName parameter. For information about location stacks, see the Notes.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-StackName
Specifies, as a string array, the named location stacks. Enter one or more location stack names.
To display the locations in the current location stack, use the Stack parameter. To make a
location stack the current location stack, use the Set-Location
cmdlet.
This cmdlet cannot display the locations in the unnamed default stack unless it is the current stack.
Type: | String[] |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
None
You can't pipe objects to this cmdlet.
Outputs
By default, this cmdlet returns a PathInfo object.
When you use the Stack or StackName parameters, this cmdlet returns a PathInfoStack object.
Notes
PowerShell includes the following aliases for Get-Location
:
All Platforms:
gl
pwd
PowerShell supports multiple runspaces per process. Each runspace has its own current directory.
This is not the same as [System.Environment]::CurrentDirectory
. This behavior can be an issue
when calling .NET APIs or running native applications without providing explicit directory paths.
The Get-Location
cmdlet returns the current directory of the current PowerShell runspace.
This cmdlet is designed to work with the data exposed by any provider. To list the providers in your
session, type Get-PSProvider
. For more information, see
about_Providers.
The ways that the PSProvider, PSDrive, Stack, and StackName parameters interact depends on the provider. Some combinations will result in errors, such as specifying both a drive and a provider that does not expose that drive. If no parameters are specified, this cmdlet returns the PathInfo object for the provider that contains the current working location.
A stack is a last-in, first-out list in which only the most recently added item is accessible. You
add items to a stack in the order that you use them, and then retrieve them for use in the reverse
order. PowerShell lets you store provider locations in location stacks. PowerShell creates an
unnamed default location stack and you can create multiple named location stacks. If you do not
specify a stack name, PowerShell uses the current location stack. By default, the unnamed default
location is the current location stack, but you can use the Set-Location
cmdlet to change the
current location stack.
To manage location stacks, use the PowerShell *-Location
cmdlets, as follows.
To add a location to a location stack, use the
Push-Location
cmdlet.To get a location from a location stack, use the
Pop-Location
cmdlet.To display the locations in the current location stack, use the Stack parameter of the
Get-Location
cmdlet. To display the locations in a named location stack, use the StackName parameter of theGet-Location
cmdlet.To create a new location stack, use the StackName parameter of the
Push-Location
cmdlet. If you specify a stack that does not exist,Push-Location
creates the stack.To make a location stack the current location stack, use the StackName parameter of the
Set-Location
cmdlet.
The unnamed default location stack is fully accessible only when it is the current location stack.
If you make a named location stack the current location stack, you can no longer use the
Push-Location
or Pop-Location
cmdlets to add or get items from the default stack or use this
cmdlet to display the locations in the unnamed stack. To make the unnamed stack the current stack,
use the StackName parameter of the Set-Location
cmdlet with a value of $null
or an empty
string (""
).
Related Links
PowerShell