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Adding a directory to the PATH environment variable in Windows

I am trying to join C:\xampp\php to my system PATH environment variable in Windows.

I have already added it using the Environment Variables dialog box.

But when I type into my console:
C:\>path

PATH=D:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2008\bin;C:\Ruby192\bin;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;

C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\PROGRA~1\DISKEE~2\DISKEE~1\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL

Server\90\Tools\binn\;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\;D:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin

;D:\Program Files\Bazaar;C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\tools;D:\Program Files\

Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools\WinNT;D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common

\MSDev98\Bin;D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools;D:\Program Files\

Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\bin


I have two questions:

Why did this happen? Is there something I did wrong?
Also, how do I add directories to my PATH variable using the console (and programmatically, with a batch file)?
path command-line windows
by

3 Answers

akshay1995
This only modifies the registry. An existing process won't use these values. A new process will do so if it is started after this change and doesn't inherit the old environment from its parent.

You didn't specify how you started the console session. The best way to ensure this is to exit the command shell and run it again. It should then inherit the updated PATH environment variable.
pankajshivnani123
Option 1
After you change PATH with the GUI, close and re-open the console window.

This works because only programs started after the change will see the new PATH.

Option 2
Execute this command in the command window you have open:


set PATH=%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\

This command appends C:\your\path\here\ to the current PATH.

Breaking it down:

set – A command that changes cmd's environment variables only for the current cmd session; other programs and the system are unaffected.
PATH= – Signifies that PATH is the environment variable to be temporarily changed.
%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\ – The %PATH% part expands to the current value of PATH, and ;C:\your\path\here\ is then concatenated to it. This becomes the new PATH.
kshitijrana14
Handy if you are already in the directory you want to add to PATH:

set PATH=%PATH%;%CD%

It works with the standard Windows cmd, but not in PowerShell.

For PowerShell, the %CD% equivalent is [System.Environment]::CurrentDirectory.

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