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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