How to Set a New PATH in Bash, Ksh, and Zsh

geekvater May 1, 2025

The PATH is an essential environment variable in Linux and Unix-like systems. It defines the directories where the shell looks for executable files when you type commands (like ping, useradd, and others). Sometimes, you might need to modify the PATH to include custom directories or tools. The method to do this depends on the shell you’re using, whether it’s bash, zsh, or ksh. This article will guide you on how to set the PATH in each of these popular shells.

Displaying the Current PATH Value

Before making any changes to your PATH, you might want to check its current value to understand what directories are already included. To do this, use the echo command:

echo $PATH

This will output the directories that are currently included in the PATH, separated by colons (:). For example:

/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games

Temporarily Changing the PATH

If you want to add a directory to the PATH temporarily (for the current session), you can use the export command. This will update the PATH for the duration of your terminal session. Once you log out or close the terminal, the change will be discarded. Here’s how you can add a directory (like /home/myscripts) to your PATH:

export PATH=$PATH:/home/myscripts

This command appends /home/myscripts to the existing PATH. You can check if it has been successfully added by echoing the PATH again:

echo $PATH

Clearing the PATH

If you ever want to clear the PATH variable, you can simply run:

export PATH=""

This will remove all directories from the PATH for the current session. However, be cautious as this can make it impossible to run commands unless you restore the correct directories in the PATH.

Permanently Setting the PATH

To make the changes to the PATH persistent across reboots or sessions, you’ll need to modify the shell’s configuration file. The specific file depends on the shell you’re using:

For bash, modify ~/.bashrc
For zsh, modify ~/.zshrc
For ksh, modify ~/.kshrc

To add a directory permanently to your PATH, open the appropriate file in a text editor, and add the following line at the end:

export PATH=$PATH:/home/myscripts

After saving the file, you’ll need to reload the configuration file or restart the terminal to apply the changes. You can reload the configuration file by running: