How to access Windows folders from Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

Question

On the Bash on Ubuntu on Windows app, I only have

root@localhost:~# ls -a
    .bash_history  .bashrc  .profile

How do I access all of the Windows folders like Documents, Downloads, etc.?

Answer 1

You'll find the Windows C:\ structure at /mnt/c/ in the Bash environment.

Therefore, my Documents folder is at /mnt/c/Users/Ben/Documents/.

Answer 2

Alternatively,

1. Hold down Shift while right-clicking in your desired Windows directory
2. Select "Open PowerShell window here"

3. Once you're in PowerShell, type bash

You'll be able to use any Bash commands directly to operate on the files and folders in that Windows directory. By using this method, you don't have to manually cd into your directories especially when you've a deep-rooted directory to access.

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Update as of Windows 10 1809:

Above still works, but there's an easier method now.

1. Hold down Shift while right-clicking in your desired Windows directory
2. Select "Open Linux shell here"