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    1 min read 5 stepsFebruary 4, 2026Verified February 2026

    How to Use Terminal on Mac

    Get started with the macOS Terminal for powerful system management via command line.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Mac Guides
    Difficulty
    Advanced
    Read Time
    1 min read
    Steps
    5
    Topics covered
    advanced
    mac
    terminal
    command-line
    power-user

    In this guide (5 steps):

    1. 1.Open Terminal
    2. 2.Navigate folders
    3. 3.Common commands
    4. 4.Check system info
    5. 5.Be careful with sudo
    1

    Open Terminal

    ~15s
    Press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal" and press Enter. Or find it in ApplicationsUtilities.
    2

    Navigate folders

    ~15s
    Use "cd foldername" to enter a folder, "cd .." to go up, and "ls" to list contents.
    3

    Common commands

    ~15s
    "pwd" shows your current location. "mkdir foldername" creates a folder. "rm filename" deletes a file.
    4

    Check system info

    ~15s
    "system_profiler SPHardwareDataType" shows Mac hardware info. "df -h" shows disk space.
    5

    Be careful with sudo

    ~15s
    "sudo" runs commands as admin. Only use it when you understand what the command does.

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    advanced
    mac
    terminal
    command-line
    power-user

    Official Resources

    Apple SupportHow-To Geek — MacApple Support YouTube

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