在计算机的文档系统中，根目录指逻辑驱动器的最上一级目录，它是相对子目录来说的；它如同一棵大树的“根”一般，所有的树杈以它为起点，故被命名为根目录。以微软公司开发的Windows操作系统为例：打开这台电脑（我的电脑、计算机），双击C盘就进入C盘的根目录。双击D盘就进入D盘的根目录。

In a computer file system, and primarily used in the Unix and Unix-like operating systems, the root directory is the first or top-most directory in a hierarchy. It can be likened to the trunk of a tree, as the starting point where all branches originate from. The root file system is the file system contained on the same disk partition on which the root directory is located; it is the filesystem on top of which all other file systems are mounted as the system boots up.