How do I change the default location for Git Bash on Windows?

Question

I am using Git on Windows 7 and access my repositories through Git Bash. How can I change the default location that Git Bash opens in a convenient folder when I start it?

Answer 1

The working solution listed are great, but the problem occurs when you want multiple default home for your git-bash.

A simple workaround is to start git-bash using bat script.

git-bash-to-htdocs.bat

cd C:\xampp\htdocs
"C:\Program Files\Git\git-bash.exe" 

The above of course assume git-bash is installed at C:\Program Files\Git\git-bash.exe

You can create multiple .bat file so your git-bash can start where it want to be

Answer 2

The easiest way without installing msysgit is right click on the Git Bash shortcut icon → Start in: → "C:\Program Files (x86)".

Change the Start in entry and point out the Git Bash starting position. If you don't remove the --cd-to-home part from the Target box, the Start in change gets overridden.

Answer 3

I read it somewhere and it worked for me.

First check in git bash what is the HOME location. Open git bash and run

echo $HOME

Now change the HOME path by opening cmd and run

setx HOME "path/to/.ssh/loc" (I gave C:\Users\aXXXX)

Now cross check by running the echo command in git bash.

Answer 4

Git bash is used to play with bash commands. So I use bash method itself in windows Git bash

Edit your .bash_profile (create it if you doesnot have one - see below how to create). Enter the following lines.

Add these lines to the file

alias ws="cd /d/workspace/"
ws

My .bash_profile looks like this

Smilyface@SmilingMachine /d/workspace
$ cat ~/.bash_profile
alias ws="cd /d/workspace/"
ws

How to create a new .bash_profile ?

touch ~/.bash_profile

OR write into the file directly

vi ~/.bash_profile 

Simple, aha !

Answer 5

Once you have updated the Start in: field make sure to remove the --cd-to-home at the end of the Target: field

Answer 6

Windows 10 tested solution

• Type git bash in search

• Right click on it and choose open file location

• Right click on it and choose properties

• At target remove --cd-to-home from "C:\Program Files\Git\git-bash.exe" --cd-to-home

• At start in put the path of the directory you want it to start at for example Start in: C:\xampp\htdocs