Terminal Cheatsheet

What is a Terminal?

A terminal is a text-based interface that lets you interact with your computer by typing commands. Instead of clicking through menus, you type instructions directly.

Note

On Windows, the program used to run terminal commands is called Command Prompt.

• Windows: The terminal program is called Command Prompt. There is also Powershell, a more modern alternative (which has some different commands).
• Mac: The terminal app is called Terminal.
• Linux: Most distributions include a Terminal application.

Basic Terminal Commands

Here are a few basic commands that work across most systems:

Command	Windows	Mac/Linux	Description
List files	dir	ls	Shows files in the current folder
Change folder	cd foldername	cd foldername	Move into a folder
Go up a folder	cd ..	cd ..	Move up one level
Make a folder	mkdir name	mkdir name	Create a new folder
Remove a file	del file.txt	rm file.txt	Delete a file

Why Use Terminal Commands?

Using basic terminal commands makes it easier to:

• Navigate projects: Quickly move between folders and files.
• Run scripts: Start Python or R scripts directly.
• Manage environments: Create and activate virtual environments for Python or R.
• Automate tasks: Use simple commands to install packages, update code, or clean up files.

Learning a few terminal commands helps you work more efficiently and gives you more control over your Python and R projects.