# Change default working directory not depending of apps

**URL:** https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506
**Category:** Get Help
**Tags:** ondemand2, question
**Created:** [September 4, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506 "2025-09-04T14:52:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![s.park](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/discourse.openondemand.org/s.park/32/2845_2.png) [@s.park](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/s.park)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506/1 "2025-09-04T14:52:11Z")

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Hello,

Is is possible to replace default working directory with user defined directory at once for all apps?

I found `OOD_DATAROOT` in `/etc/ood/config/apps/app_name/env`. But it’s global configuration for every user. Is there a way to define working directory by user?

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### Author: ![travert](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/discourse.openondemand.org/travert/32/3074_2.png) [@travert](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/travert)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506/2 "2025-09-04T18:39:19Z")

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> [@s.park](#):
>
> Is is possible to replace default working directory with user defined directory at once for all apps?

No, this is not a feature in Open OnDemand. You could always have the environment variable set on login for a user by using a `bashrc` or `profile` to just set that environment variable as you want with `$USER` in the path.

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### Author: ![s.park](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/discourse.openondemand.org/s.park/32/2845_2.png) [@s.park](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/s.park)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506/3 "2025-09-05T03:55:34Z")

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Thanks Travis.

Do you mean it could be working if I set environment variable in `.bashrc`? I set variable in that file as bolow but it does not work.

```auto
export OOD_DATAROOT=/scratch/ood/s.park

```

How can users change their working directory as they want?

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### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/osc/original/2X/b/bae70bd0ed39a3ae769c2108155f4cb3e9da8385.png) [@system](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2026, 3:56am UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/change-default-working-directory-not-depending-of-apps/4506/4 "2026-03-04T03:56:17Z")

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