Simple Intro to the macOS Terminal (zsh/bash)

This is a minimal, practical cheat sheet for everyday tasks on macOS.
Modern macOS uses zsh by default, but most commands are the same in bash.

0) Open Terminal

Spotlight search (⌘ + Space) → type “Terminal” → Enter

1) Core ideas

Your location (current folder)

Show current folder:
```
pwd
```
List files:
```
ls
```

Paths

. means “this folder”
.. means “parent folder”
/ is the path separator

Examples:

cd .
cd ..
cd /Users/yourname/Downloads

Autocomplete + history

Press Tab to autocomplete paths/commands.
Use ↑ / ↓ to browse command history.

2) Navigate folders

Change folder:
```
cd <path>
```

Examples:

cd Documents
cd ..
cd ~

~ is your home folder.

3) Create, copy, move, delete

Create a folder

mkdir <foldername>

Create an empty file

touch <filename>

Copy

cp <source> <destination>

Move / rename

mv <source> <destination>

If you do not know the and , you can use the autocomplete feature to find them. You can also drag and drop the files from the Finder into the terminal window to find the paths.

Delete (be careful)

Delete a file:
```
rm <filename>
```
Delete a folder and everything inside:
```
rm -r <foldername>
```

Tip: If you’re unsure, run ls first and double-check the path.

4) View file contents

Print a text file:
```
cat <filename>
```
View long output one screen at a time:
```
less <filename>
```
(Press q to quit.)

5) Search (basic)

Find files/folders by name:
```
find . -name "*partialname*"
```
Search inside files for text:
```
grep -R "text" .
```

Quick safety rules

If you do not know what a command does, do not run it :)
Be extra careful with rm (especially rm -r).
Quote paths with spaces:
```
cd "My Folder"
```

A tiny practice routine (2 minutes)

mkdir cli-practice
cd cli-practice
touch notes.txt
ls
echo "hello" >> notes.txt
cat notes.txt
cd ..
rm -r cli-practice