Mac command cheat sheet
1. Basic Navigation
-
pwd
Prints the current working directory (where you are currently located in the file system). -
ls
Lists all files and directories in the current directory. -
cd [directory]
Changes the directory to the specified one.
Example:cd Documents
-
cd ..
Moves up one directory level. -
cd ~
Changes to the home directory.
2. File Management
-
touch [filename]
Creates a new empty file.
Example:touch index.html
-
mkdir [directory_name]
Creates a new directory.
Example:mkdir my_project
-
rm [filename]
Deletes a file.
Example:rm index.html
-
rm -r [directory_name]
Deletes a directory and its contents recursively.
Example:rm -r my_project
-
cp [source] [destination]
Copies a file or directory to a new location.
Example:cp index.html backup_index.html
-
mv [source] [destination]
Moves or renames a file or directory.
Example:mv index.html new_index.html
3. Viewing and Editing Files
-
cat [filename]
Displays the contents of a file.
Example:cat index.html
-
nano [filename]
Opens a file in the Nano text editor for editing.
Example:nano index.html
-
head [filename]
Displays the first 10 lines of a file.
Example:head index.html
-
tail [filename]
Displays the last 10 lines of a file.
Example:tail index.html
4. Search and Find
-
grep "[search_term]" [filename]
Searches for a specific term within a file.
Example:grep "title" index.html
-
find [directory] -name "[filename]"
Searches for a file or directory by name.
Example:find . -name "index.html"
5. Permissions
-
chmod [permissions] [filename]
Changes the file or directory permissions.
Example:chmod 755 index.html
-
sudo [command]
Runs a command with superuser (admin) privileges.
Example:sudo nano /etc/hosts
6. Networking
-
ping [domain]
Checks the network connection to a server.
Example:ping google.com
-
curl [url]
Retrieves the content of a URL.
Example:curl http://example.com
7. Version Control (Git)
-
git clone [repository_url]
Clones a remote Git repository to your local machine.
Example:git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
-
git status
Shows the current status of your Git repository. -
git add [filename]
Adds a file to the staging area.
Example:git add index.html
-
git commit -m "[message]"
Commits the staged files with a message.
Example:git commit -m "Initial commit"
-
git push
Pushes your commits to the remote repository.
8. Miscellaneous
-
clear
Clears the terminal screen. -
open [filename/directory]
Opens a file or directory in the default application.
Example:open index.html
oropen .
(opens current directory in Finder) -
history
Displays a list of recently used commands. -
exit
Closes the terminal session.