How to Use Terminal in macOS

Edited 3 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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The Terminal application in macOS is a powerful and versatile tool that allows you to interact with your computer using text commands. Although it may seem intimidating to some at first, gaining proficiency with the Terminal can unlock many advanced features and give you more control over your system. This guide will introduce you to everything you need to know about using the Terminal on macOS, even if you have no prior experience.

What is a terminal?

The Terminal is a command-line interface (CLI) for your Mac. It's like a virtual version of your Finder or file manager, but accessed via written commands rather than by clicking on icons. The Terminal lets you perform a variety of tasks, such as modifying files or running scripts, often with greater precision than using a graphical application.

Opening the Terminal

To start using the Terminal, you must first open it. Here's how:

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock (usually located at the bottom of your screen).
2. Select Applications from the sidebar.
3. Find and open the Utilities folder.
4. Double-click the Terminal application to open it.

You can quickly open Terminal using Spotlight search by pressing Command + Space, typing "terminal," and pressing Enter.

Understanding the Terminal Interface

Once you open the terminal, you will see a window with a prompt that looks something like this:

Last login: Mon Sep 5 10:00:00 on ttys000
username@MacBook ~ %

This prompt indicates that the terminal is ready to accept your input. It typically displays the last login information, your computer's name, and your user name. The tilde (~) symbol indicates your home directory.

Basic Terminal Commands

1. Navigating the directories

Think of directories as the folders on your computer. You use commands to navigate these directories in the terminal.

• pwd: This means “print working directory.” It shows you your current location in the file system.

  pwd
  /Users/username

• ls: Lists the contents of the current directory.

  ls
  Desktop Documents Downloads

• cd: This means "change directory." Use it to move between directories.

  cd Documents

2. Creating and deleting files and directories

You can create and delete files and folders directly from the terminal.

• mkdir: Create a new directory.

  mkdir MyFolder

• Touch: Create a new file.

  touch myfile.txt

• rm: Delete the file. Be careful, as this doesn't have an undo option.

  rm myfile.txt

• Use rm -r to remove directories and their contents.

  rm -r MyFolder

3. Viewing and editing files

The Terminal lets you view and edit files without the need for a separate text editor.

• cat: Display the contents of a file.

  cat myfile.txt
  Hello, this is a text file.

• nano: A simple text editor for editing files. Enter nano followed by the file name to open the file.

  nano myfile.txt

  Use Control + O to save changes and Control + X to exit.

Using Wildcards

Wildcards allow you to select groups of files and directories. These characters act as placeholders for other characters.

• *: Represents zero or more characters.

  ls *.txt
  file1.txt file2.txt

• ?: Represents any single character.

  ls file?.txt
  file1.txt

Redirecting input and output

The terminal allows redirecting input and output streams using the following:

• >: Redirects the output from a command to a file, and overwrites existing contents.

  echo "Hello, World!" > hello.txt

• >>: Appends the output to the file while preserving the existing contents.

  echo "Welcome!" >> greetings.txt

• <: Takes input for a command from a file.

  cat < hello.txt

• |: Passes the output of one command as input to another.

  ls | sort

Search and Find

Using the terminal you can efficiently search for files and their contents.

• search: Searches files and directories by name.

  find . -name "file.txt"

• grep: Searches for text strings within files.

  grep 'search term' file.txt

Customizing the Terminal

You may want to customize the appearance and behavior of the terminal for ease of use.

• Terminal preferences: In Terminal, go to Terminal > Preferences. Here you can adjust text, color schemes, fonts, cursor size, and more.
• Aliases: Create shortcuts for commands, adding them to your .bash_profile or .zshrc file.

  echo 'alias ll="ls -la"' >> ~/.zshrc
  source ~/.zshrc

Advanced Uses: Shell Scripting

Once you're familiar with basic Terminal commands, you can start creating scripts to automate tasks.

A shell script is a text file that contains a sequence of commands for the terminal.

• Create a shell script:

  nano script.sh

  Enter a few commands in a text editor:

  #!/bin/bash
  echo "Hello, World!"

  Save and exit. Make the script executable:

  chmod +x script.sh

  Run the script using the following:

  ./script.sh

Best practices and tips

To get the most out of the terminal, here are some practices and tips:

• Back up important data: Changes made to the terminal are irreversible without a backup. Make sure you back up important data before making major changes.
• Use the manual: man command displays the manual for other commands.

  man ls

• Shortcuts: Familiarize yourself with keyboard shortcuts for efficiency:
  • Control + C: Stops a running command.
  • Control + L: Clears the screen.
  • Arrow Keys: Cycle through the command history.

Conclusion

The Terminal may seem daunting at first, but with practice, it becomes a powerful tool in your computing toolkit. From navigating directories to creating complex scripts, you can perform a wide variety of tasks. Understanding the Terminal solidifies your understanding of how macOS works behind the scenes, making you an effective and efficient power user. As you dig deeper, you'll discover the endless possibilities and shortcuts the Terminal offers to simplify and improve your digital tasks.

Final words

This guide covers the fundamental concepts and commands important for developing proficiency with the Terminal on macOS. Remember to practice regularly, explore various commands through the manual documentation, and keep experimenting to harness the full potential of command-line operations on your Mac.

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