How to permanently set $PATH on Linux/Unix?

Question

I'm trying to add a directory to my path so it will always be in my Linux path. I've tried: export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir This works, however each time I exit the terminal and start a new terminal instance, this path is lost, and I need to run the export command again. How can I do it so this will be set permanently?

Answer 1

When using BASH there is a file named .bashrc located in your home directory. If you edit this text file and add PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir. Now when you restart your terminal the path variable will contain your new directory.

Use can use the command 'ls -a' to see all the files in a directory that begin with a leading dot.

Answer 2

Put your export command in the .bashrc file in your home directory.

.bashrc runs at each start of a shell.