Open Finder and find your Applications folder.
One of the features of the Unix-based operating systems is the command line. Mac сommand line is called Terminal and in this article, we will consider the main aspects of its work and highlight useful tips and tricks to facilitate your workflow.
In macOS, the Mac command line interface is available through the Terminal app, which comes with each version of the Apple operating system, as well as through the Terminal emulator apps. Opening a default Terminal on Macs doesn’t differ from opening any other program. Here you can find several ways to open a command line on Mac.
Open Finder and find your Applications folder.
Search for Utilities and click it.
Next, find Terminal among the available programs and double click it.
After that, a Terminal window will immediately open, and you can start working with it.
Mac owners probably know that one can open any application through Spotlight search.
Press command+ Space on the keyboard.
Start typing Terminal into the search bar.
The operating system will show the found options, among which the Terminal program will be one of the first.
Click it to run macOS command line.
You can also quickly open Terminal from Launchpad. Just follow this simple guide:
Click the rocket ship icon in Dock or press F4 on your keyboard to launch it.
When Launchpad opens, type Terminal and press Enter.
Terminal is open and ready for further work.
The easiest way to open command line in Mac operating system is by using a shortcut to invoke its window, namely command(⌘) + T.
For most users, the built-in Mac Terminal is enough to fulfill their needs. However, there are those users who want to obtain as much as possible from any app. We bring Commander One for your consideration, a versatile file manager for Mac tailored at facilitating your workflow.
The app has gathered everything you need for advanced work: here you will find work with remote servers and cloud storages, work with MTP, Android, and iOS devices, work with archives of different formats, Process viewer, advanced search, built-in Terminal, and much more.
So let’s figure out how to open command line on Mac computer via Commander One:
Download and install the app on your Computer.
Launch Commander One.
To run any command, just type it in the command line in the lower pane of Commander One.
To invoke the Terminal use the shortcut Ctrl+O.
The most important thing in Commander One is a two-panel interface that allows you to work without interruption and not be distracted by jumping over windows.
Command line is a tool for controlling your computer using textual commands. It was used before when there were no computer mice and graphical interfaces. Despite the fact that we now have it all, the command line has not gone anywhere and is still used by developers and system administrators. Nevertheless, you can find different terms when speaking about command line in Mac operating system. So let’s take a closer look at all of them for better understanding and for not being confused.
Console is a system that includes both the command line and the output from the executed command.
Command line is the line where you input commands.
Prompt is the beginning of the command line. Typically contains information about the users, computer, date, time, etc., and ends with $. Commands are typed and executed after the prompt.
Terminal is the graphical interface of the console allowing you to execute text commands and to interact with your operating system.
Now when the definitions are quite clear, there are several points worth consideration when working with Terminal, namely the basic principles of working with the Mac command line. There are several of them:
At the end of the prompt, you can see the dollar sign $. This is the character of the line waiting for user input, which is divided into three types:
Ok, now that we know about commandLine, it’s time to move further and talk about useful command line Mac commands to continue working with the Terminal.
Here you can find the most popular and frequently used command line Mac commands. If you are a newbie, don’t let them frighten you. Actually, everything is simple, you just need to get used to it a little. Of course, few users use the capabilities of the Terminal in everyday life. But, once you start working with the macOS command line, you quite quickly appreciate the opportunities it provides you.
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
| File Size and Disk Space | |
| df | shows you the amount of your disk space, including network drives. |
| du | shows a list of all folders available on your system partition |
| Change Directory | |
| cd ~ | helps navigate through various directories |
| cd - | allows returning to the previous directory |
| cd .. | allows going up to the higher directory |
| List Directory Contents | |
| ls - | lists the file names in the specified directory |
| ls -f - | shows files with their extension |
| ls -a - | lists all files, including hidden ones |
| ls -lo - | in addition to listing existing files, also shows their access rights and the date they were created |
| Copying | |
| cp | allows copying files and folders |
| ditto | allows copying the directory, but with the attributes of hidden files |
| Search | |
| find | searches for files that match your criteria |
| find / -name | searches for the file you need across the entire file structure, including all mounted drives, and displays the full path to it |
| find -x / -name | the same, but the search will be carried out exclusively on the boot disk of your system |
| File and Directory Management | |
| mkdir | creates a new directory |
| rm | allows deleting the specified file |
| rmdir | allows removing the specified directory |
| clear | clears Mac command line screen |
| mv | allows renaming files |
| Processes | |
| ps -x | command, issuing in the terminal a list of processes of the current user |
| ps -ax | shows a list of all processes |
| top | lists the main processes involved and constantly updated information about them. The load on the processor, the size of the memory involved, the time, etc. |
| kill | kills a hung process or sends a signal to it |
| sync | forcibly writes the contents of the disk cache to the hard disk |
| lsof | shows a list of open files on your system and files that are currently being accessed by a program |
We hope that our article sheds light on Mac command line and after reading it you will effectively use Terminal to quickly and efficiently perform trivial actions on your Mac. To facilitate your workflow we recommend Commander One, a versatile tool that would be a cup of tea for both savvy users and newbies that features everything one needs including the command line.
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