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MORDECAI ETUKUDO
MORDECAI ETUKUDO

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Top 50 Most-Used Linux & Windows Commands

#linux #microsoft #beginners #osdc

Top 50 Most-Used Linux & Windows Commands

Linux Commands

Command Description Syntax
ls Lists files and directories. ls [options] [directory]
cd Changes the current directory. cd [directory]
pwd Displays the current directory path. pwd
mkdir Creates a new directory. mkdir [directory]
rmdir Removes an empty directory. rmdir [directory]
rm Removes files or directories. rm [options] [file/directory]
cp Copies files or directories. cp [options] source destination
mv Moves or renames files or directories. mv [source] [destination]
touch Creates an empty file or updates the timestamp. touch [file]
cat Displays the contents of a file. cat [file]
less Views the contents of a file one screen at a time. less [file]
head Displays the first few lines of a file. head [file]
tail Displays the last few lines of a file. tail [file]
echo Outputs text to the terminal. echo [text]
chmod Changes file permissions. chmod [permissions] [file]
chown Changes file owner and group. chown [owner]:[group] [file]
find Searches for files and directories. find [path] [options]
grep Searches text within files. grep [options] [pattern] [file]
man Displays the manual for a command. man [command]
df Displays disk space usage. df [options]
du Displays directory space usage. du [options] [directory]
top Displays running processes. top
ps Displays current processes. ps [options]
kill Terminates a process by PID. kill [PID]
pkill Terminates processes by name. pkill [process_name]
wget Downloads files from the web. wget [URL]
curl Transfers data from or to a server. curl [options] [URL]
ssh Connects to a remote server via SSH. ssh [user]@[host]
scp Securely copies files between hosts. scp [source] [destination]
nano Opens a text editor. nano [file]
vim Opens a powerful text editor. vim [file]
tar Archives files. tar [options] [archive_file] [file/directory]
zip Compresses files into a zip archive. zip [options] [archive_file] [file/directory]
unzip Extracts files from a zip archive. unzip [archive_file]
alias Creates an alias for a command. alias [name]='[command]'
unalias Removes an alias. unalias [name]
history Shows command history. history
clear Clears the terminal screen. clear
reboot Reboots the system. reboot
shutdown Shuts down the system. shutdown [options]
ping Checks connectivity to a host. ping [host]
hostname Displays or sets the system's hostname. hostname [name]
ifconfig Configures network interfaces. ifconfig [interface]
netstat Displays network connections. netstat [options]
iptables Manages firewall rules. iptables [options]
service Manages system services. service [service_name] [command]
systemctl Controls the systemd system and service manager. systemctl [command] [service_name]
df Displays disk space usage. df [options]
mount Mounts file systems. mount [options] [device] [directory]
umount Unmounts file systems. umount [device]

Windows Commands

Command Description Syntax
dir Lists files and directories in the current directory. dir [options] [directory]
cd Changes the current directory. cd [directory]
md/mkdir Creates a new directory. md [directory]
rd/rmdir Removes an empty directory. rd [directory]
del Deletes files. del [file]
copy Copies files from one location to another. copy [source] [destination]
move Moves files from one location to another. move [source] [destination]
ren/rename Renames a file or directory. ren [old_name] [new_name]
type Displays the contents of a file. type [file]
cls Clears the Command Prompt screen. cls
echo Displays a message or turns command echoing on or off. echo [message]
attrib Displays or changes file attributes. attrib [options] [file]
chkdsk Checks a disk and displays a status report. chkdsk [options] [drive:]
tasklist Displays a list of currently running processes. tasklist
taskkill Terminates a running process. taskkill [options]
ipconfig Displays network configuration information. ipconfig [options]
ping Tests network connectivity. ping [host]
hostname Displays the computer's hostname. hostname
netstat Displays network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics. netstat [options]
nslookup Queries the DNS to obtain domain name or IP address mapping. nslookup [hostname]
tracert Traces the route to a network host. tracert [host]
netsh Configures network interfaces, firewall settings, and more. netsh [command]
format Formats a disk for use with Windows. format [options] [drive:]
shutdown Shuts down or restarts the computer. shutdown [options]
regedit Opens the Windows Registry Editor. regedit
msconfig Opens the System Configuration utility. msconfig
sfc Scans and repairs system files. sfc [options]
diskpart Manages disk partitions. diskpart
wmic Displays WMI information inside an interactive command shell. wmic [alias] [command]
systeminfo Displays detailed system information. systeminfo
gpupdate Updates Group Policy settings. gpupdate [options]
gpresult Displays Group Policy settings and resultant set of policy (RSoP) for a user or computer. gpresult [options]
bcdedit Manages Boot Configuration Data. bcdedit [options]
cipher Displays or alters the encryption of directories [files] on NTFS partitions. cipher [options] [directory]
powercfg Manages power settings. powercfg [options]
driverquery Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties. driverquery [options]
schtasks Manages scheduled tasks. schtasks [options]
net Manages network resources. net [command]
assoc Displays or modifies file extension associations. assoc [file_extension]=[file_type]
ftype Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations. ftype [file_type]=[command_string]
path Displays or sets a search path for executable files. path [options]
where Locates and displays files in directories in a command prompt. where [options] [file_name]
doskey Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros. doskey [options]
prompt Changes the Windows Command Prompt. prompt [text]
title Sets the window title for the Command Prompt. title [text]
cls Clears the Command Prompt screen. cls
pause Pauses the execution of a batch file and shows a message. pause
set Displays, sets, or removes environment variables. set [variable]=[value]
ver Displays the Windows version number. ver
exit Closes the Command Prompt. exit

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