Reset default terminal directory Mac Ventura 13.6.7

Question

I had previous changed the default directory my terminal opens up in to a specific sub folder in Documents no matter when or how you open a new terminal. I want to reset it back to the default behavior and I'm don't remember how I set the default to begin with.

Are there any other places that could setting my terminal directory on start up?

I've already reset the terminal profile back to to the default, checked $HOME is still default, and checked my .zshrc and .zprofile but don't see anything there that would change the default directory on start up.

.zshrc

# Add RVM to PATH for scripting. Make sure this is the last PATH variable change.
export PATH="/usr/local/opt/node@14/bin:$PATH"
export PATH="/usr/local/opt/[email protected]/bin:$PATH"
export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
[[ -d $PYENV_ROOT/bin ]] && export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
command -v pyenv >/dev/null || export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
eval "$(pyenv init -)"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

.zprofile

# Setting PATH for Python 2.7
# The original version is saved in .zprofile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

alias python=python3

# Setting PATH for Python 3.10
# The original version is saved in .zprofile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

Update:

I found that in .zshenv would grab from .bash_profile, and in my .bash_profile there was a CD command to would set my directory. So even if you're using zshell you might be some things running from you bash settings.

Answer 1

Terminal's concept of the Default Working Directory is the users home directory ($HOME) as setup in Settings | Users and Groups (defaulted to /Users/USER). This information comes from the help screen for that Terminal settings dialog in the question (press ?).

Now, usually when users are setup or modified $HOME is not visible to be modified. But there is an 'Advanced' option to edit the user profile; UID, group, shell, $HOME. This is accessed by Control-Clicking the user in Users and Groups.

See https://support.apple.com/en-us/102547 for some background, though this is mostly to rename an account. In that scenario you'd be renaming the $HOME (eg. sudo mv /Users/fred /Users/bob), then changing the renamed user profile to point at the renamed $HOME. I would imagine that changing the home directory as has been done on your machine would be classed as 'unsupported'.

I would suggest that your $HOME has been changed in the past to /Users/USER/Documents/subfolder

I have setup a test user on my machine and set $HOME to /Users/USER/Documents, logged on as that user, opened Terminal, and verified that /Users/USER/Documents is the home directory.

As an administrator it should be sufficient to change it back to /Users/USER, and logoff / logon. If the affected account is already an admin, it will be safer to create another admin account to do the change with. Changing the affected account with the affected account may cause further problems!

However, once changed, there may be some other folders which will require moving from Documents to ensure proper operation of other apps. My test wasn't comprehensive enough beyond checking the home directory. But the change has indeed created new sub-folders for Desktop, Library, Downloads, Documents, .Trash; and the various .zsh* configs. Unpicking this may be tricky for you.

Of course, a reliable backup beforehand is essential.

Update:

Info from the OP (which I'd missed in the question tbf..) shows that $HOME is set correctly, yet the problem persists. This invalidates my answer somewhat, yet is still one way of achieving the problem.

Answer 2

Since your zsh is an interactive login shell, the last startup file being processed is be your ~/.zlogin. If you want to cd to a certain directory initially for every interactive zsh,this could be where to put your cd command.

I would however recommend against it: It means that if every zsh login shell would end up in this directory. My personal suggestion would be that you ensure that you don't do any cd in any of your startup files, but set the initial directory in your terminal preferences. This allows you to have different terminal profiles, each with its own starting directory.

@AndyGriffiths pointed out in his comment, that you don't want to set a specific starting directory, but just want to have "the default". Actually, my answer covers this too, but I should have written it explicitly:

If you do not put any cd command, you will simply see the default behaviour. Hence, do not do a cd in your startup files.

zsh by itself does not set a "default" directory. It simply starts up in the directory of the parent process. Hence, there is no such default, and it does not make sense to ask for "a default place". What happens when you start a zsh from your terminal, is that your terminal sets one working directory initially (this is what you can configure in the preferences), and then it fires up the shell, and then zsh - depending on how it is invoked -, processes a series of startup files. As long as none of them changes the working directory, you are in the one set by the Terminal. It is important that you set in your preferences the options "new windows open with Default Working Directory", and the same for "new tabs open ....".

If you are not happy with this default, you have two choices: Either configure your zsh as described above, or install iTerm2, which has more possibilities to configure your terminal.

Answer 3

I found that in .zshenv would grab from .bash_profile, and in my .bash_profile there was a CD command to would set my directory. So even if you're using zshell you might be some things running from you bash settings.