Top 17 commands for Ubuntu Beginners

Basics GNU/Linux Commands

#1. ls : list directory contents

ls
If you want to see hidden files/directories (beginning with dot.), the use -a flag.

ls -a
Check the manual for more detail (man ls).

#2. cd : Change Directory

cd ../
cd /home/Desktop
Remember,

. represents the current directory

.. represents the parent directory

~ represents the home directory (of the user)

#3. pwd : print the current/working directory

pwd
/home/Desktop/scripts

#4. mkdir : make/create directory.

mkdir funny_stuffs

#5. rm : remove/delete file/directory

rm useless.sh
NOTE : it removes directories only if it�s empty, unless you specify -f flag for
force deletion. But you must be careful with the arguments such as -r, -f. (-rf is
very dangerous).

#6. sudo : superuser do, to gain root privilege

e.g

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Then enter your user account password, and you would be able to do administrative
tasks like root. So if you�re getting any permission error using a command, then
adding sudo as a prefix, might help.
#7. mv : rename or move a file/directory

mv file1 ~/Downloads/Archive/
the above command will move the file from the current directory to target
directory.

mv logo_2.jpg new_logo.jpg
it will rename the file to new_logo.jpg.

#8. cat : View File contents

cat install.log

#9. man : A Reference manual for utils/commands/programs

e.g if you want to know more about rm command, then type �

man rm

#10. cp : Copy Files/Directories

cp movie_name.mp4 ~/Downloads/movies/
The above command will copy the movie_name.mp4 to the specified directory.

#11. wget : Download files from server

GNU Wget or wget is very handy in downloading stuffs from internet, over the
command line.

wget url_of_the_content

#12. gksudo : Run GUI Application with Root privilege

gksudo nautilus
The above command will open nautilus with root privilege. It�s just like sudo, but
in GUI mode.

#13. shutdown : To shutdown the computer from terminal

shutdown -h
where time can be 0 if you want to shutdown now or specify the exact time such as
10:30.

#14. restart : Restart the computer

restart
Package Management
These are Ubuntu Specific commands. It Requires root privilege, so just add the
sudo prefix before each command (it will ask for the user password and you�re
done!).

#15. apt-get : Command Line Tool for handling packages

There are various options such as

install � To install package.

e.g Install the program PyRoom (A distraction Free Text Editor)

sudo apt-get install pyroom

remove � To remove package

sudo apt-get remove kate

update � To update the package cache

sudo apt-get update

#16. add-apt-repository � To add a PPA (for your favorite Application)

e.g add the PPA for the App Eidete (Screencasting program)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:shnatsel/eidete-daily

After, adding the PPA, apt-get update command is required.

#17. apt-cache : To access the Package details from cache

search : search for the related packages in the apt-cache

e.g

apt-cache search image editor