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Cygwin does not play well when installed in a path that contains spaces. In this context, be aware that not all Windows paths are equal; e.g. the German “C:\Programme” is actually an alias for “C:\Program Files” (which contains a space). Ideally, install to “C:\Cygwin” to avoid any problems.
By default Cygwin will place your user's home directory in <InstallPath>/home/<UserName>
. Usually it is much more convenient to work from your %USERPROFILE%
directory – you know, where you have your Documents, Pictures, Videos, Downloads etc. drawers.
To change the home location, navigate to <InstallPath>/etc/
and open the file nsswitch.conf
in your favorite text editor. Among other things, you will find this line:
# db_home: /home/%U
Change this line to:
db_home: /home/%H
Save the file, and from now on your Cygwin $HOME
will be your Windows %USERPROFILE%
.