Essential macOS Terminal Commands

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macOS comes with a powerful Unix-based terminal that most users never fully explore. This guide covers the commands you will actually use day to day — from basic navigation to macOS-specific tools that make life easier.

macOS uses zsh as the default shell (since macOS Catalina). Most commands here work on Linux too, but some are macOS-specific.

Navigation

Command	What it does
`pwd`	Print current directory
`ls`	List files and folders
`ls -la`	List all files with details and hidden files
`cd /path/to/folder`	Change directory
`cd ..`	Go up one level
`cd ~`	Go to home directory
`cd -`	Go back to previous directory

# List everything in your Documents folder
ls -la ~/Documents/

Files and Directories

Command	What it does
`mkdir foldername`	Create a directory
`mkdir -p a/b/c`	Create nested directories
`touch file.txt`	Create an empty file
`cp file.txt ~/destination/`	Copy a file
`cp -r folder/ ~/destination/`	Copy a folder recursively
`mv file.txt ~/destination/`	Move or rename a file
`rm file.txt`	Delete a file
`rm -rf folder/`	Delete a folder and all contents
`cat file.txt`	Print file contents
`less file.txt`	Scroll through file contents
`head -n 20 file.txt`	Show first 20 lines
`tail -f file.txt`	Follow file in real time

rm -rf permanently deletes files with no Trash. There is no undo. Always double-check your path.

macOS-Specific Commands

These are unique to macOS and some of the most useful ones to know:

Command	What it does
`open .`	Open current folder in Finder
`open file.txt`	Open a file with its default app
`open -a "Visual Studio Code" .`	Open folder in a specific app
`pbcopy < file.txt`	Copy file contents to clipboard
`echo "hello" \| pbcopy`	Copy text to clipboard
`pbpaste`	Paste clipboard contents to terminal
`say "hello"`	Text to speech
`caffeinate`	Prevent Mac from sleeping
`caffeinate -t 3600`	Prevent sleep for 1 hour
`mdfind "filename"`	Spotlight search from terminal
`screencapture screenshot.png`	Take a screenshot
`diskutil list`	List all disks and partitions

# Copy a command's output directly to clipboard
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy

# Open current folder in Finder
open .

# Keep Mac awake while running a long script
caffeinate ./long-script.sh

Searching

Command	What it does
`grep "text" file.txt`	Search for text in a file
`grep -r "text" /path/`	Search recursively
`grep -i "text" file.txt`	Case-insensitive search
`find ~ -name "*.log"`	Find files by name
`mdfind "filename"`	Spotlight search (faster for indexed files)

System Information

Command	What it does
`sw_vers`	macOS version
`uname -a`	Kernel and system info
`hostname`	Show hostname
`uptime`	How long the Mac has been running
`whoami`	Current user
`df -h`	Disk usage
`du -sh ~/folder/`	Size of a specific folder
`top`	Real-time process monitor
`vm_stat`	Memory usage statistics
`system_profiler SPHardwareDataType`	Detailed hardware info

# Check macOS version
sw_vers

# See what's eating your disk space
du -sh ~/Downloads/

Networking

Command	What it does
`ifconfig`	Show network interfaces and IPs
`ping google.com`	Test connectivity
`curl https://example.com`	Fetch a URL
`wget https://example.com/file`	Download a file (install via Homebrew)
`netstat -an`	Show active connections
`lsof -i :8080`	Show what is using a specific port
`networksetup -listallnetworkservices`	List network interfaces
`ipconfig getifaddr en0`	Get IP of a specific interface

# Find what is running on port 3000
lsof -i :3000

# Get your local IP
ipconfig getifaddr en0

Homebrew

Command	What it does
`brew install hugo`	Install a package
`brew uninstall hugo`	Remove a package
`brew update`	Update Homebrew
`brew upgrade`	Upgrade all packages
`brew upgrade hugo`	Upgrade a specific package
`brew list`	List installed packages
`brew search git`	Search for a package
`brew doctor`	Check for issues
`brew cleanup`	Remove old versions
`brew install --cask app`	Install a GUI application

Process Management

Command	What it does
`ps aux`	List all running processes
`ps aux \| grep nginx`	Find a specific process
`kill PID`	Stop a process by ID
`kill -9 PID`	Force kill a process
`killall Finder`	Kill process by name

# Restart Finder if it freezes
killall Finder

zsh Tips

macOS uses zsh by default. A few useful built-ins:

# View command history
history

# Search history
history | grep docker

# Run previous command with sudo
sudo !!

# Clear terminal
clear   # or CTRL+L

# Expand path with Tab
cd ~/Doc[TAB]   # autocompletes to ~/Documents/

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	What it does
`CTRL+C`	Cancel current command
`CTRL+L`	Clear terminal
`CTRL+A`	Jump to beginning of line
`CTRL+E`	Jump to end of line
`CTRL+U`	Clear current line
`↑ / ↓`	Navigate command history
`TAB`	Autocomplete
`CMD+T`	New terminal tab
`CMD+K`	Clear terminal (macOS Terminal.app)