πŸ’» Top 10 Beginner Linux Commands:


πŸ”Ή 1. pwd – Print Working Directory

Shows the current directory you’re in.
pwd


πŸ”Ή 2. ls – List Directory Contents

Displays files and folders in your current directory.

ls
ls -l # long format
ls -a # includes hidden files

πŸ”Ή 3. cd – Change Directory

Move to another folder.

cd Documents
cd .. # go up one level
cd /home/user # go to specific path

πŸ”Ή 4. mkdir – Make Directory

Create a new folder.

mkdir my_folder

πŸ”Ή 5. touch – Create a File

Create an empty file.

touch notes.txt

πŸ”Ή 6. rm – Remove Files or Directories

Delete files or folders (careful with this one!).

rm file.txt
rm -r folder_name # delete folder and contents

πŸ”Ή 7. cp – Copy Files

Copy files from one location to another.

cp file.txt /home/user/Desktop

πŸ”Ή 8. mv – Move or Rename Files

Move or rename files.

mv oldname.txt newname.txt
mv file.txt /new/location/

πŸ”Ή 9. cat – View File Contents

Displays text files in the terminal.

cat myfile.txt

πŸ”Ή 10. man – Manual Pages

Read the help manual for a command.

man ls
man mkdir

🧠 Bonus Tip: Use TAB for Auto-Complete

Start typing a command or filename, then hit TAB β€” Linux will finish it for you (if unique). Huge time-saver!


πŸš€ Conclusion:

These 10 commands form the foundation of working in the Linux terminal. Master these, and you’ll be ready to dive deeper into file management, scripting, and server work.


πŸŽ“ Call to Action:

Want to practice these commands in a hands-on lab?

πŸ’‘ Join our beginner-friendly live Linux training at
πŸ‘‰ Unix Training Academy
You’ll go from nervous to confident β€” with real-world exercises and support.

Scroll to Top