What Is Mac Terminal?
Mac terminal is an included program on macOS that allows you to use Unix commands (think DOS) to perform dozens of functions quickly and easily without any interference from the operating system. The technical term for it is a command-line interface (CLI). Using the terminal can be very powerful and efficient, but also dangerous.
Terminal is sometimes compared to Windows command prompt program. They are similar; however terminal uses Unix commands to function. Windows uses its own command prompt language.
Some users (think IT administrators and developers) use the terminal because it can be faster than the graphical interface most of us use and, the real kicker, it allows access to functions not available through the regular macOS interface.
How to Open Terminal (Command Prompt) on Mac
You can use terminal by opening Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal. A window will open, and you will see a command prompt ending with a $. The command line shown is ComputerName:CurrentDirectory ~Username$. At the top of the window, you will see the word Bash; it stands for ‘Bourne again shell.’ Bash is the language used for terminal on a Mac.
You are ready to start typing commands.
Keyboard Shortcuts to Use With Terminal
Show/Hide Hidden Files and Folders
There are times when you need to view hidden files and folders on a Mac, and there is a command for that.
To reverse the command above, change TRUE to FALSE.
Download Files From the Internet
To quickly download a file from the internet use the command below.
Change the Default Location for Screen Shots
Not everyone wants their screenshots saved to the Desktop. With a single command, you can change where they go.
Press Return.
Press Return.
Change the Default File Type for Screenshots
If you want to change the default file type of screenshots, use the following command.
Press Return.
Press Return.
Delete All Files in a Folder
You can easily delete all files in a folder using a single command. However, be warned there is no undo button, once you press Return, the files are gone.
Read the Manual
Bash has a complete manual built-in, and you can access the pages through terminal using the “man” command.
For example, if you wanted to know how to use the cd command, you would type in:
You can scroll through pages of the manual by pressing the spacebar.
These are the most common commands, but there are thousands (you can even combine them into one series of commands) you can try in terminal to make your Mac experience more powerful and more enjoyable. But remember, there’s a lot of power in these commands so make sure you type them in correctly.
