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I am trying to restore a schema on a remote server using the psql console in pgAdmin and an sql dump file. I receive the following error: 

user=> \i file.sql
file.sql: No such file or directory

I can't seem to print the directory listings due to lacking superuser privileges.

Is there a way to identify or print the current working directory in psql console? What is the default directory?

Don
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    In `psql` you could to use `\!` meta-command to execute shell command. For example `\! pwd` to show working directory. – Abelisto Jul 13 '17 at 22:24
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    @Abelisto that works. I feel silly. I usually work via command line psql in a linux console/VM and neglected that I was on a Windows machine at first so I actually needed to use `\! echo %cd%` and the default dir is unsurprisingly 'C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\9.4\bin'. Thanks! – Don Jul 13 '17 at 23:10
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    `\! echo %cd%` can be simplified to `\! cd` –  Nov 28 '17 at 21:00

2 Answers2

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Typing in the command \! pwd will print the current working directory in psql. To change working directory use command \cd <path>; replace <path> with desired path. Eg. Running command \cd /run/mount will change the current working directory to /run/mount. Try changing the your working directory to that containing the file which you want to run and then use \i meta command as you did earlier. It will definitely work.

vipulsinghthakur
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    To clarify: `\cd ...` is a PSQL command (type `\?` for a list, so `\cd /home/victoria` (no exclamation point), *but* `\!pwd` to print that directory path, or `\! ls -l` to list the contents. – Victoria Stuart Jun 08 '18 at 20:35
  • Well that didn't work... I get `postgres-# \! pwd 'pwd' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.` – user32882 Dec 10 '18 at 09:28
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    Are you on Windows @user32882? The reason I ask, `cd` is the Windows command-line equivalent of the -nix shell command `pwd`. To expand a little, the Postgres `\!` command is described as a meta-command because it tells the machine "for this line only, I want to you to forget that we're in a database and we'll speak our regular language instead." So `\!` is followed by regular shell-scripting language appropriate to whatever OS you're on. `\! cd` should print your working directory to the screen on a Windows machine. – amunnelly Jan 05 '19 at 19:44
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I am shocked that no one answered the question directly in over 2 years. Everyone assumes that because you are using postgres that you must be running Linux. Well, postgres is now becoming a very popular DBMS on Windows 10.

In Windows 10, in a psql command prompt type "! dir" to print the current working directory.

To change directories in the Windows 10 psql client, "\cd /users/yourlogin".

The psql client is a unix shell running on Windows, so it is a mix of unix and dos syntax commands.

Rich Lysakowski PhD
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    `postgres is now becoming a very popular DBMS on Windows 10`? There are signs that Windows encourages using it on Linux as an integrated part of Windows instead, in the new times of WSL2 and Docker Desktop. At least, I could not get the plpython3u extension to work on Windows, see [PostgreSQL 13 + Python 3.7.9 + plpython3u: 'psql: server closed the connection unexepectedly.' + 'The application has lost the database connection.'](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/67852675/postgresql-13-python-3-7-9-plpython3u-psql-server-closed-the-connection-u). – questionto42 Sep 02 '21 at 06:57