Variable: dired-dwim-target

dired-dwim-target is a customizable variable defined in dired.el.gz.

Value

nil

Documentation

If non-nil, Dired tries to guess a default target directory.

This means: if there is a Dired buffer displayed in some window, use its current directory, instead of this Dired buffer's current directory.

You can customize it to prefer either the next window with a Dired buffer, or the most recently used window with a Dired buffer, or to use any other function. When the value is a function, it will be called with no arguments and is expected to return a list of directories which will be used as defaults (i.e. default target and "future history")
(though, dired-dwim-target-defaults might modify it a bit).
The value t prefers the next windows on the same frame.

The target is used in the prompt for file copy, rename etc.

Probably introduced at or before Emacs version 27.1.

Source Code

;; Defined in /usr/src/emacs/lisp/dired.el.gz
(defcustom dired-dwim-target nil
  "If non-nil, Dired tries to guess a default target directory.
This means: if there is a Dired buffer displayed in some window,
use its current directory, instead of this Dired buffer's
current directory.

You can customize it to prefer either the next window with a Dired buffer,
or the most recently used window with a Dired buffer, or to use any other
function.  When the value is a function, it will be called with no
arguments and is expected to return a list of directories which will
be used as defaults (i.e. default target and \"future history\")
\(though, `dired-dwim-target-defaults' might modify it a bit).
The value t prefers the next windows on the same frame.

The target is used in the prompt for file copy, rename etc."
  :type '(choice
          (const :tag "No guess" nil)
          (function-item :tag "Prefer next windows on the same frame"
                         dired-dwim-target-next)
          (function-item :tag "Prefer next windows on visible frames"
                         dired-dwim-target-next-visible)
          (function-item :tag "Prefer most recently used windows"
                         dired-dwim-target-recent)
          (function :tag "Custom function")
          (other :tag "Try to guess" t))
  :group 'dired)