One command reference. Three operating systems. Everything developers need to navigate the terminal.
Whether you're working on Windows, macOS, or Linux, knowing your way around the terminal is an essential developer skill.
But there's one annoying problem:
The same task often requires different commands depending on your operating system.
For example:
- Windows:
dir - macOS / Linux:
ls
And that's just the beginning.
This cheat sheet brings together the most commonly used terminal commands across all three platforms, organized by category so you can quickly find what you need.
Bookmark this page. You'll probably need it again.
1. Terminal Environments
Before we start, understand the difference between these environments:
| Operating System | Terminal Environment |
|---|---|
| Windows | Command Prompt (CMD) |
| Windows | PowerShell |
| macOS | Terminal (Zsh / Bash) |
| Linux | Terminal (Bash / Zsh) |
Important: Windows CMD and PowerShell are different shells. Some commands work in both, while others have completely different syntax.
Throughout this article:
-
CMD= Windows Command Prompt -
PowerShell= Windows PowerShell -
macOS / Linux= Unix-like shells
2. Navigation Commands
The first thing you'll learn in any terminal is how to move around.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show current directory | cd | Get-Location | pwd |
| List files | dir | Get-ChildItem | ls |
| List all files, including hidden | dir /a | Get-ChildItem -Force | ls -la |
| Change directory | cd folder | Set-Location folder | cd folder |
| Go up one level | cd .. | cd .. | cd .. |
| Go to home directory | cd %USERPROFILE% | cd ~ | cd ~ |
| Go to root directory | cd \ | cd \ | cd / |
| Clear terminal | cls | Clear-Host | clear |
Practical examples
# Navigate into a project cd my-project # Move one directory up cd .. # Go to your home directory cd ~ # Display the current location pwd Note: pwd and ~ are native Unix shell conventions. PowerShell supports them too, but CMD does not.
3. File and Directory Management
Creating, copying, moving, and deleting files are everyday terminal operations.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create directory | mkdir app | New-Item -ItemType Directory app | mkdir app |
| Create empty file | type nul > file.txt | New-Item file.txt -ItemType File | touch file.txt |
| Copy file | copy a.txt b.txt | Copy-Item a.txt b.txt | cp a.txt b.txt |
| Move file | move a.txt folder | Move-Item a.txt folder | mv a.txt folder |
| Rename file | ren old.txt new.txt | Rename-Item old.txt new.txt | mv old.txt new.txt |
| Delete file | del file.txt | Remove-Item file.txt | rm file.txt |
| Delete directory | rmdir folder /s /q | Remove-Item folder -Recurse -Force | rm -r folder |
| Remove empty directory | rmdir folder | Remove-Item folder | rmdir folder |
| Display file contents | type file.txt | Get-Content file.txt | cat file.txt |
Useful examples
# Create a project directory mkdir my-app # Create a file touch index.html # Copy a file cp index.html backup.html # Rename a file mv old-name.txt new-name.txt # Display file contents cat package.json ⚠️ Be careful with deletion commands. Commands such as `rm -rf` and `Remove-Item -Recurse -Force` can permanently delete files and directories. Always verify the target before executing them.
4. Searching for Files and Text
Finding files and searching inside them are essential skills when working with large projects.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find a file by name | where /r . file.txt | Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter file.txt | find . -name "file.txt" |
| Search text in a file | findstr "hello" file.txt | Select-String "hello" file.txt | grep "hello" file.txt |
| Search recursively | findstr /s "hello" *.txt | `Get-ChildItem -Recurse -File \ | Select-String "hello"` |
| Find executable location | where node | Get-Command node | which node |
| Search command history | doskey /history | Get-History | history |
Examples
# Find all JavaScript files find . -name "*.js" # Search for a specific word grep "useState" App.jsx # Search recursively grep -r "TODO" src/ # Find files with a specific extension find . -name "*.tsx" 5. System Information
Sometimes you need to inspect your machine without opening system settings.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| System information | systeminfo | Get-ComputerInfo | uname -a |
| Operating system | ver | Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | cat /etc/os-release (Linux) |
| Current username | whoami | whoami | whoami |
| Hostname | hostname | hostname | hostname |
| Date and time | date /t | Get-Date | date |
| Environment variables | set | Get-ChildItem Env: | printenv |
| Display a variable | echo %PATH% | $env:PATH | echo $PATH |
Examples
# Check your username whoami # Check your hostname hostname # Display environment variables printenv # Display PATH echo $PATH 6. Process Management
When an application freezes or a development server refuses to stop, process management becomes important.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| List running processes | tasklist | Get-Process | ps aux |
| Find process by name | `tasklist \ | findstr node` | Get-Process node |
| Kill process by PID | taskkill /PID 1234 /F | Stop-Process -Id 1234 -Force | kill -9 1234 |
| Kill by process name | taskkill /IM node.exe /F | Stop-Process -Name node -Force | pkill node |
| Display live processes | tasklist | Get-Process | top |
| Interactive process monitor | Task Manager | Get-Process | htop (if installed) |
Developer example
Imagine your React development server is stuck on port 5173.
First, find the process:
# macOS / Linux lsof -i :5173 On Windows:
# Find the process using port 5173 Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 5173 Then terminate the process using its PID:
# Windows PowerShell Stop-Process -Id 1234 -Force # macOS / Linux kill 1234 Replace 1234 with the actual process ID.
7. Networking Commands
Networking commands help you troubleshoot connectivity, inspect IP addresses, and diagnose DNS problems.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show IP configuration | ipconfig | Get-NetIPConfiguration | ip addr |
| Detailed IP information | ipconfig /all | Get-NetIPConfiguration | ip addr show |
| Test connectivity | ping google.com | Test-Connection google.com | ping google.com |
| DNS lookup | nslookup google.com | Resolve-DnsName google.com | nslookup google.com |
| Display network connections | netstat -ano | Get-NetTCPConnection | ss -tulnp |
| Trace network route | tracert google.com | Test-NetConnection google.com -TraceRoute | traceroute google.com |
| Display routing table | route print | Get-NetRoute | ip route |
| Flush DNS cache | ipconfig /flushdns | Clear-DnsClientCache | Depends on OS and resolver |
Useful examples
# Check internet connectivity ping google.com # Check DNS resolution nslookup github.com # Inspect network routes traceroute google.com 8. Package Managers
Package managers make installing and updating development tools much easier.
| Task | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install Node.js | winget install OpenJS.NodeJS | brew install node | sudo apt install nodejs npm |
| Install Git | winget install Git.Git | brew install git | sudo apt install git |
| Install Python | winget install Python.Python.3.12 | brew install python | sudo apt install python3 |
| Update packages | winget upgrade --all | brew upgrade | sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade |
| Search packages | winget search node | brew search node | apt search nodejs |
| Remove package | winget uninstall Git.Git | brew uninstall git | sudo apt remove git |
Important: These examples assume Windows Package Manager (winget), Homebrew on macOS, and APT-based Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian.
Other Linux distributions use different package managers, such as dnf or pacman.
9. Git Commands
Git works almost identically across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Check Git version | git --version |
| Initialize repository | git init |
| Clone repository | git clone URL |
| Check status | git status |
| Stage all changes | git add . |
| Commit changes | git commit -m "message" |
| View commit history | git log |
| Create branch | git branch feature |
| Switch branch | git switch feature |
| Create and switch branch | git switch -c feature |
| Pull changes | git pull |
| Push changes | git push |
| List branches | git branch |
| Merge branch | git merge feature |
| View differences | git diff |
Typical Git workflow
git status git add . git commit -m "Add new feature" git push 10. Archive and Compression Commands
Working with ZIP and compressed files is another common terminal task.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create ZIP | Not built-in | Compress-Archive -Path folder -DestinationPath app.zip | zip -r app.zip folder |
| Extract ZIP | Not built-in | Expand-Archive app.zip -DestinationPath output | unzip app.zip |
| Create TAR archive | tar -cf app.tar folder | tar -cf app.tar folder | tar -cf app.tar folder |
| Extract TAR | tar -xf app.tar | tar -xf app.tar | tar -xf app.tar |
| Extract TAR.GZ | tar -xzf app.tar.gz | tar -xzf app.tar.gz | tar -xzf app.tar.gz |
11. Permissions and Administrative Commands
Permissions control who can access, modify, and execute files.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display file permissions | icacls file.txt | Get-Acl file.txt | ls -l file.txt |
| Change permissions | icacls file.txt /grant User:F | icacls file.txt /grant User:F | chmod 755 file.txt |
| Change file owner | takeown /f file.txt | takeown /f file.txt | chown user file.txt |
| Run as administrator | Run CMD as Administrator | Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs | sudo command |
Permission example
# Give the owner read, write and execute permissions chmod 755 script.sh # Make a script executable for everyone chmod +x script.sh Be careful when using administrator privileges or sudo. Elevated commands can modify critical system files.
12. Disk and Storage Commands
Need to check available storage?
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show disk usage | wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace (legacy) | Get-Volume | df -h |
| Show directory size | No simple built-in equivalent | Get-ChildItem with size calculation | du -sh folder |
| List disks | diskpart | Get-Disk | lsblk |
| Check disk | chkdsk | Repair-Volume | fsck (unmounted filesystem) |
Note: Disk repair commands often require administrator privileges and should not be run casually.
13. Environment Variables
Environment variables are especially important for developers working with Node.js, React, Docker, and backend applications.
| Task | CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display PATH | echo %PATH% | $env:PATH | echo $PATH |
| Set temporary variable | set API_KEY=123 | $env:API_KEY="123" | export API_KEY=123 |
| Display variable | echo %API_KEY% | $env:API_KEY | echo $API_KEY |
| Remove variable | set API_KEY= | Remove-Item Env:API_KEY | unset API_KEY |
Important: These examples set variables only for the current shell session. Permanent environment variables require different configuration methods.
14. Useful Terminal Shortcuts
You don't always need a command. Keyboard shortcuts can save a lot of time.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl + C | Interrupt a running command |
Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal screen (supported shells) |
Ctrl + A | Move to the beginning of the line |
Ctrl + E | Move to the end of the line |
Ctrl + R | Search command history (common Unix shells) |
Tab | Autocomplete commands and paths |
↑ / ↓ | Navigate command history |
Ctrl + D | End input / exit shell (Unix shells) |
Shortcut behavior can vary depending on the terminal application and shell.
15. Bonus: Developer-Specific Commands
If you're a frontend or full-stack developer, these commands will probably be part of your daily workflow.
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Check Node.js version | node -v |
| Check npm version | npm -v |
| Check pnpm version | pnpm -v |
| Install dependencies | npm install |
| Start development server | npm run dev |
| Build project | npm run build |
| Run tests | npm test |
| Install a package | npm install package-name |
| Install dev dependency | npm install -D package-name |
| Remove package | npm uninstall package-name |
| Run a package without installing globally | npx package-name |
| Check Python version | python --version |
| Check Docker version | docker --version |
| List Docker containers | docker ps -a |
| List Docker images | docker images |
These commands are generally cross-platform, provided the relevant tools are installed.
16. Quick Reference: The Commands You'll Use Most
Here's the compact version for when you don't have time to read the entire article.
| Action | Windows CMD | PowerShell | macOS / Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| List files | dir | ls | ls |
| Change directory | cd | cd | cd |
| Current directory | cd | pwd | pwd |
| Clear screen | cls | cls | clear |
| Create folder | mkdir | mkdir | mkdir |
| Delete file | del | rm | rm |
| Copy file | copy | cp | cp |
| Move file | move | mv | mv |
| Show processes | tasklist | ps | ps aux |
| Kill process | taskkill | Stop-Process | kill |
| Show IP | ipconfig | ipconfig | ip addr |
| Find executable | where | Get-Command | which |
| Display file | type | cat | cat |
Final Thoughts
You don't need to memorize every command in this article.
Instead, focus on understanding the patterns:
- Navigation helps you move around.
- File commands help you manage projects.
- Process commands help you troubleshoot applications.
- Networking commands help you diagnose connectivity.
- Package managers help you install development tools.
- Git commands help you manage your code.
Once you understand the concepts, switching between Windows, macOS, and Linux becomes much easier.
The terminal isn't something to be afraid of. It's one of the most powerful tools a developer can learn.
⭐ Save this cheat sheet for later!
Which operating system do you use most for development: Windows, macOS, or Linux?
Share your favorite terminal command in the comments!
