- Linux/Mac
- Windws
Linux/Mac Commands
Navigating the file system:
pwd: Prints the current working directory.
cd: Changes the current directory.
ls: Lists the files and directories in the current directory.
ls -la: List the files and directories with more detail. You will be able to tell if an item is a file or a directory.
Creating and managing files and directories:
mkdir: Creates a new directory.
touch: Creates a new file.
mv: Moves or renames a file or directory.
cp: Copies a file.
cp -r: Copies a directory. (recursive)
rm: Deletes a file.
rm -r: Deletes a directory.
Viewing and editing files:
less: Allows you to view the contents of a file one page at a time.
nano: A simple text editor to edit the file in terminal
vi/vim: A more advanced text editor to edit the files in terminal
cat: Displays the contents of a file.
vi/vim: A more advanced text editor to edit the files in terminal. Does not come by default. Needs to be installed.
Searching and filtering:
grep: Searches for a specific string in a file or multiple files.
find: Search for files in a directory hierarchy.
Permissions and ownership:
chmod: Changes the permissions of a file or directory.
chown: Changes the ownership of a file or directory.
Miscellaneous:
clear: Clears the terminal screen.
exit: Closes the terminal window.
man: Displays the manual pages for a command.
Windows Commands
Navigating the file system:
dir: Lists the files and directories in the current directory. Example: dir or dir /w to see the files in a detailed format.
cd: Changes the current directory. Example: cd Documents to move to the Documents directory
popd: Changes the current directory back to the previously stored directory. Example: popd to move back to the previous directory.
chdir or pushd: Changes the current directory and stores the previous directory. Example: chdir Documents or pushd Documents to move to the Documents directory.
tree: Lists the files and directories in a hierarchical format. Example: tree or tree /f to see the files in a detailed format.
Creating and managing files and directories:
md or mkdir: Creates a new directory. Example: md new_folder or mkdir new_folder to create a new folder with the name 'new_folder'.
copy: Copies a file or directory. Example: copy file1.txt file2.txt to copy file1.txt to file2.txt or xcopy foldername newfoldername /s to copy the whole folder with its contents to a new folder
move or ren: Moves or renames a file or directory. Example: move file1.txt file2.txt or ren file1.txt file2.txt to rename file1.txt to file2.txt or move foldername newfoldername or ren foldername newfoldername to rename the folder.
del or erase: Deletes a file or directory. Example: del file1.txt or erase file1.txt to delete file1.txt or rd foldername or rd /s foldername to delete the folder and its contents.
Viewing and editing files:
type: Displays the contents of a file. Example: type file1.txt to see the contents of file1.txt
more: Allows you to view the contents of a file one page at a time. Example: more file1.txt to view the contents of file1.txt
notepad: A simple text editor to edit the file in command line. Example: notepad file1.txt to open and edit file1.txt in notepad
edit: A simple text editor in command line, that works only in command prompt. Example: edit file1.txt to open and edit file1.txt in edit
Searching and filtering:
find or findstr: Search for a specific string in a file or multiple files. Example: find "search_string" file1.txt or findstr /s /c:"search_string" file1.txt to search for "search_string" in file1.txt
forfiles: Select a file or a set of files and then execute a command on those files. Example: forfiles /p "C:\Windows" /s /c "cmd /c echo @file" to search for files in the directory "C:\Windows" and print their names
notepad: A simple text editor to edit the file in command line. Example: notepad file1.txt to open and edit file1.txt in notepad
edit: A simple text editor in command line, that works only in command prompt. Example: edit file1.txt to open and edit file1.txt in edit
Permissions and ownership:
cacls: Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files. Example: cacls file1.txt to view the permissions of file1.txt or cacls file1.txt /g user1:F to give