Mac Terminal (Unix Commands) Cheat Sheet. So, this is the cheat sheet which contains some of the most useful commands on your Mac terminals. You might be thinking that it’s too much our brain can grasp at a given day. Don’t worry, you just need to remember a few of them to enhance your productivity and save your precious time. Mac Terminal Commands – Complete List This is a complete A- Z index of all Mac commands and the terminal events associated with those commands. We have compiled this list by using official sources and have explained more clearly and elaborately about each of them. In the Terminal app on your Mac, use the mv command to move files or folders from one location to another on the same computer. The mv command moves the file or folder from its old location and puts it in the new location. For example, to move a file from your Downloads folder to a Work folder in your Documents folder.
Apple's macOS platform includes Terminal, which is equivalent to Command Prompt in Windows OS. Since the macOS is based on UNIX, Terminal might give you a vibe of a dangerous tool where one wrong command can wreck your system. Sure, it is valid only to an extent. There are a bunch of harmless commands that are usable in customizing the interface and other settings of macOS.
The Terminal on macOS can be extremely useful in tweaking the performance of your Mac. Now it entirely depends on what you want to achieve. In case you have been dreading to use it, you can always get comfortable by using simpler tricks. Here are the top 11 terminal command tricks to try on your Mac.
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Read MoreNote: While selecting/copying a command, make sure you scroll all the way towards right to select the complete command in the gray box. Otherwise partial commands will not work as intended.1. Open Folders
One of the coolest ways to get familiar with the Terminal is to use it to open files and folders. I know that clicking on Finder will do the same. However, using Terminal, you can open a specific folder or a file without exposing your file structure to anyone.
Let's say you want to open your Documents folder. Then you can type the following command and then hit Enter.
And that opens my Documents folder. There's a DOCX file in there. I can use Terminal to open that too. For that, you need to type out the command with some requirements — the path of the respective file:
Open -a 'Application Name' /Path/to/File
So for opening the DOCX file in the Documents folder of my Mac, I typed in the command below and then hit Enter:
That opens up the specific file using the predefined program. You can also use the wildcard character (*.extension) instead of the full filename. However, if you have more than one file in carrying the same extension, then it might freeze your Mac for a bit.
2. Change Default Save Screenshot Location
By default, the macOS Mojave stores the screenshots on the Mac's desktop. Now if you have iCloud sync enabled, which I am sure you do, then it keeps uploading to your account. Thankfully, you can change the save location for the screenshots instead of crowding your desktop.
Here's the command you need to type before hitting Enter:
In the above command, you can provide any specific file location instead of ~/Downloads as shown.
After hitting Enter, I need to reset the SystemUIServer for the changes to take effect immediately. So feed in the following command.
Though it is not required, I would recommend restarting your Mac.
3. Change Screenshot Image Type
The macOS saves the screenshots in JPG format by default. You can change that to save them in PNG or PDF formats too. Here's how to do that quickly with this specific command:
After that, you need to kill the SystemUIServer again.
Most commands which require some system changes shall mandate shutting down the SystemUIServer. So do that quickly.
Now, your new screenshots will save in the PNG format. Do note that PNG files are generally larger than JPG files. So keep an eye on how much storage space they consume.
4. Show Hidden Files
Have you tried looking for the option to let the Finder show hidden files? Well, it is tougher than picking the show hidden files on Windows. I always forget how to enable that. Thankfully there is a helpful command that makes it happen in a few seconds.
After that, you need to force shut the Finder.
Now you should see a lot of hidden files in the Finder. They would be greyed out but still visible. If you roll back this change, then you need to change TRUE to FALSE in the command.
5. Switch Off the Dashboard
Apple promoted the Dashboard view to access calculator and sticky notes quickly. I bet you rarely use that one for you can launch the Calculator app or Sticky Notes app using Mission Control of Spotlight. So you can switch it off and don't have to worry about opening it by mistake.
Here's the command to turn off the Dashboard.
Next, you must kill the Dock so that the changes are correctly applied.
Now I don't have to worry about accidentally opening the Dashboard. If you want to switch it on again, then change TRUE to FALSE in the command.
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Read More6. Download Files
Did you know that you can download files using the Terminal? Yes, you don't need to keep the browser running just for that file. The only requirement here is that you must have the file's download link. So the command syntax is:
curl -0 downloadlink
First, navigate to the folder where you want to download the file. For that, you need to switch to the Downloads directory.
After that, you can feed the command to download the VLC for macOS from the official site. It would appear something like this:
Note: There is a letter O in the command and not the 0 (zero).7. Ditto for Backups
Copying files and taking backups on macOS is quite swift — thanks to the SSDs and the flash storage. However, it does take a while to copy a large amount of data. Thankfully, Terminal offers a useful command to copy files. Here's how you can do it while watching the name of files that the command copies.
ditto -V /currentpath/ /new/path/
So I want to copy the DMG downloaded in the previous section to the desktop.
That should do the needful. If you want to copy the files to an external drive, then you need to provide the destination path correctly.
8. Always Show File Path in the Finder
If you have switched from Windows recently, you would have noticed that the Finder on macOS doesn't show file path like the Explorer in Windows. However, you can force Finder to show you the file path with this command:
After hitting enter, you need to stop the Finder.
After you hit Enter, the Finder will relaunch. Then you should see the file paths at the top of the Finder window.
9. Power Chime on Connecting the Charger
Has it ever happened that you've connected the MagSafe charger to your Mac but forgot to flip on the power switch? I have lost the count. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this useful command that provides an audio feedback chime whenever I connect the MagSafe charger.
Feed this command in the Terminal and hit Enter.
10. Stop Your Mac from Sleeping
Often you are downloading a massive file, and you don't want your Mac go to sleep. If it is a temporary requirement, then a simple command can make it happen. Just type the following command, hit Enter and walk away from your Mac.
In this command, the number 600 signifies seconds. So with this command, the Mac won't sleep until 10 minutes (600 seconds). You can enter a relevant number of seconds or just the word 'caffeinate' to prevent your Mac from sleeping.
However, if you close that Terminal window, then the command will stop executing and the Mac will go to sleep on a predefined time.
11. Check Your Mac's Uptime
Wondering how long it has been since you've restarted your Mac? A simple restart can sort a lot of things in order and boost your Mac's performance. Here's a command to check your how long your Mac has been running without a Restart or a Shutdown
That should give you all the details with a timestamp.
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#productivity
Click here to see our productivity articles pageUsing Terminal Is Fun
The Terminal is an absolute delight to use and tinker around in the macOS. However, we would strictly advise against using random commands provided by unverified sources or strangers. Other than that, these commands should run on latest macOS Mojave update till last few versions.
You should always double-check the Terminal commands that involve removing, deleting or disabling any service. If you stick to our list, then you would be confident of using Terminal like a pro.
Next up: Are you bored of the same old Lock Screen on your Mac? Here is a nifty guide that will show how to customize the lock screen on your macOS Mojave running Mac.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextHow to Customize the Lock Screen on macOS 10.14 MojaveAlso See#terminal #macos
Did You Know
Apple Watch can be used to unlock your Mac.
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Terminal is a built-in tool for macOS, but not all Mac users are aware of its usefulness. It is a powerful command-line interface and can be used to do a lot of things on your Mac device without stress. With Terminal, all you have to do is simply input a command to get the desired output on your Mac.
Contents
- 2 Commands for Terminal
- 3 Final Verdict
Setting up Terminal Commands on Mac
Before you can start using Terminal commands, you need to first locate the command prompt on your Mac device. Locate the prompt by taking the following steps:
- Open a Finder window or double click on the Macintosh HD icon.
- Find and open the Applications folder.
- After that, double click on Utilities.
- Here, you will find the Terminal. Click on Open the Terminal.
After doing this, it will take you to a window that shows the name of your PC, your username, and a dollar sign ($). All the terminal commands discussed below can be typed into the command prompt. Press the return key to go back to the command prompt.
Commands for Terminal
Mac users who do know about the built-in feature are occasionally hesitant to use Terminal. Any typo in your command could cause damage to your macOS. As long as you are careful and double-check your work, however, you should have no problem.
Here are some basic Terminal commands that you can use on your Mac device.
Check The Server Response
Ping is one of the most useful Terminal commands with which every Mac user should be familiar. This command will help you check the server response speed of domains and IP addresses. To perform this command, type into the command terminal ping [insert URL or IP address].
Keep Your Mac From Falling Asleep
Many Mac users do not know that there is a command you can use to keep your Mac awake or “caffeinated” for a certain amount of time before it goes into sleep or screensaver. To set this command type caffeinate –t 200000 into the command terminal. The command means that your Mac will stay awake for 200,000 seconds.
Show or Hide Files
Sometimes you might be looking for a file that is hidden on your Mac. You can use the following command to find their location on your system. To show all hidden files on your Mac device, type as follows: defaults Write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles –bool TRUE. Directly underneath, type killall Finder.
This command will bring out all hidden files on your Mac and allow you to either edit or delete them. You can also decide to hide these files again by simply replacing the TRUE with FALSE.
Duplicate Files Between Folders on Your Mac
Terminal Command For Mac Serial Number
The can avoid the stress of copying and pasting files between folders on your Mac by merely using the duplicate files between folders command. This is achieved by using the Ditto terminal command on your Mac device. In the Terminal command prompt, type in Ditto [Original Folder] [New Folder].
Note: if you have folders in different locations with the same name, you have to include -v after Ditto to be able to achieve the right result.
Check For MacOS Updates
Your Mac device is customarily configured to check for macOS updates on a weekly basis, but a simple Terminal command can change this setting: defaults write com.apple.softwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency –int 1. Change the integer (the number seen in the command) to any number of your choice. The number represents the number of days that your device will wait before checking for updates.
You can return to the default weekly check for updates with defaults write com.apple.softwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency –int 7. With this, you can be notified of your app updates or macOS updates more frequently.
Improve Your Mac’s Screenshots
Normally, when you take screenshots on your Mac device, you will notice that it usually adds a drop shadow. These shadows can lower the quality of your screenshots. You might want to turn off these shadows by using the Terminal command defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow –bool TRUE. Underneath what you just typed, include Killall SystemUIServer. After entering this command, there should be no drop shadows added to your screenshots again.
Final Verdict
Terminal Commands For Macbook Air
Many Mac users depend on various app preferences to have total control over their system. Terminal commands allow you to have total control without having to do this. You can use any of the terminal commands above, and many more, to customize your Mac device.
![Terminal Commands For Mac Terminal Commands For Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125849345/402183373.jpg)