Manage files in Terminal on Mac (2024)

FAQs

How do I list all files and folders in Terminal Mac? ›

Use the command line

For example, to see a list of files in your default folder, type the List command, ls , then press Return. When you're done, clear the window of the list by choosing Edit > Clear Screen.

To look at the contents of a text-based configuration file, use cat or less . Generally, you'll use less because it has more options (such as searching). To use less , enter the command name followed by the name of the file you want to view.

To edit a plain text file in Terminal, you can use a command-line text editor. For general-purpose work, it's easiest to use one of the text editors included with macOS. If you want to use a graphical text editor, use TextEdit (in Launchpad).

Type pwd in the terminal and press Enter. pwd stands for “print working directory”. The output from this command tells you which folder is your current working directory. The ls command has additional options that can change how it functions.

The tilde character represents the home folder of the logged-in user. For example, to specify the Documents folder of the current user, enter ~/Documents. To specify another user's Document folder, use the short name preceded by the tilde (~) character—for example, ~jsmith/Documents.

Go to a folder by entering its pathname

As you type, matching folders appear. Type a slash (/) at the beginning of a pathname to indicate that the starting point is the top level of your computer's folder structure. Type a slash at the end to indicate that this is a path to a folder, rather than a file.

To open a directory in a terminal, you use the cd command to change your current directory. This essentially opens that folder and places you in it.

On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window. Choose View > Show Path Bar, or press the Option key to show the path bar momentarily. The location and nested folders that contain your file or folder are displayed near the bottom of the Finder window.

How do I manage other files on my Mac? ›

The Finder icon looks like a blue smiling face; click the icon in the Dock to open a Finder window. You use Finder windows to organize and access almost everything on your Mac.

To edit a text file in a Linux terminal, use a command-line text editor like Nano or Vim. or Vi . Type the editor's command followed by the file name, press Enter, make changes, and save. Nano users can use Ctrl + X, while Vim users can use :wq to exit after making the edits in the text file .

In the Terminal app on your Mac, invoke a command-line editor by typing the name of the editor, followed by a space and then the name of the file you want to open.

In the Terminal app on your Mac, choose Terminal > Settings, then click a settings pane: General: Set the profile for the startup window, for new windows and tabs, and choose the shell to use. Profiles: Create profiles to change how Terminal windows look.

Listing files and folders in the current directory

To see them in the terminal, you use the "ls" command, which is used to list files and directories. So, when I type "ls" and press "Enter" we see the same folders that we do in the Finder window.

On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window. Choose View > Show Path Bar, or press the Option key to show the path bar momentarily. The location and nested folders that contain your file or folder are displayed near the bottom of the Finder window.