diff --git a/dialog/file.go b/dialog/file.go
index 5a4e26d454..26b9859f48 100644
--- a/dialog/file.go
+++ b/dialog/file.go
@@ -268,21 +268,12 @@ func (f *fileDialog) setSelected(file *fileDialogItem) {
 //
 // Order of precedence is:
 //
-// * os.Getwd()
 // * os.UserHomeDir()
 // * "/" (should be filesystem root on all supported platforms)
 func (f *FileDialog) effectiveStartingDir() string {
 
-	// Try to use CWD
-	var err error = nil
-	dir, err := os.Getwd()
-	if err == nil {
-		return dir
-	}
-	fyne.LogError("Could not load CWD", err)
-
-	// fail over to home dir
-	dir, err = os.UserHomeDir()
+	// Try home dir
+	dir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
 	if err == nil {
 		return dir
 	}
diff --git a/dialog/file_test.go b/dialog/file_test.go
index 68083d483d..1037509d24 100644
--- a/dialog/file_test.go
+++ b/dialog/file_test.go
@@ -40,19 +40,16 @@ func comparePaths(t *testing.T, p1, p2 string) bool {
 }
 
 func TestEffectiveStartingDir(t *testing.T) {
-	wd, err := os.Getwd()
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Skipf("os.Getwd() failed, cannot run this test on this system (error getting ./), error was '%s'", err)
+		t.Skipf("os.UserHomeDir) failed, cannot run this test on this system, error was '%s'", err)
 	}
 
 	dialog := &FileDialog{}
 
-	// test that we get ./ when running with the default struct values
+	// test that we get $HOME when running with the default struct values
 	res := dialog.effectiveStartingDir()
-	expect := wd
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Skipf("os.Getwd() failed, cannot run this test on this system, error was '%s'", err)
-	}
+	expect := home
 	if !comparePaths(t, res, expect) {
 		t.Errorf("Expected effectiveStartingDir() to be '%s', but it was '%s'",
 			expect, res)