How to `cd` into directory with the name `-`?

Question

Here is an example. I'm creating a directory named - and I can't cd into it. The command cd - returnes me to the previous directory. And I'm a bit supprised that cd "-" works the same way. I can enter that directory using the full path ~/-, but is there other way?

user@server:~$ cd /tmp
user@server:/tmp$ cd
user@server:~$ mkdir -
user@server:~$ cd -
/tmp
user@server:/tmp$ cd
user@server:~$ cd "-"
/tmp
user@server:/tmp$ cd ~/-
user@server:~/-$

`mv -- - reasonable-name; cd reasonable-name; (cd ..; mv reasonable-name -)`. Although I would recommend skipping the last step. ;) — William Pursell, Jul 15 '17 at 12:59

score 30 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 15 '17 at 08:17

30

use instead

cd ./-

if you are in the directory above.

answered Jul 15 '17 at 08:17

dev_null

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score 14 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 15 '17 at 12:44

14

or like this:

cd -- -/

Adding a / at the end of a file name ensures that the file is treated as a directory.

answered Jul 15 '17 at 12:44

tso

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1

without `--` there is error: 'bash: cd: -/: invalid option' – tso Jul 15 '17 at 13:46
1

Ugh, could have sworn I actually tried that why going through the options. – chepner Jul 15 '17 at 13:53
2

[brennanenanen's answer](https://stackoverflow.com/a/45116076/4411648) was made about 3 hours earlier. – TOOGAM Jul 15 '17 at 17:17
1

but brennanenanen's answer isn't the same as this answer – bessarabov Jul 20 '17 at 17:59

score 7 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 15 '17 at 08:17

7

cd -- ./- should do the trick :)

It treats everything after the -- as not a command.

answered Jul 15 '17 at 08:17

brennanenanen

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Hm. But `cd -- -` does not work. – bessarabov Jul 15 '17 at 08:19
1

as @dev-null said I think it's the `./-` that actually makes it work. – brennanenanen Jul 15 '17 at 08:21
2

then `--` does not do anything. – bessarabov Jul 15 '17 at 08:22
3

true, I looked at [this](https://serverfault.com/questions/462739/how-to-cd-into-a-directory-with-this-name-2-starting-with-the-hyphen) when I was answering. Sorry about that. – brennanenanen Jul 15 '17 at 08:27

How to `cd` into directory with the name `-`?

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