The Terminal

Using the command line is a great way to access the inner workings of the computer and can be faster than using the GUI (graphical user interface) when you get used to it. On a mac, the command line can be accessed using the Terminal app. Once it’s open, it should look something like this:

Mac Terminal Application

You can make the terminal do things by typing in a command followed by pressing the enter key. Here are some basic commands to help navigate around the terminal :

The command ls shows the contents of the folder you are currently in.

ls

The contents shown after entering in the ls command

The command cd allows you to enter into a directory or folder.

cd directory-name

The command cd .. allows you to go up one directory level or exit a folder.

cd .. 

The command mkdir allows you to create a new directory or folder.

mkdir directory-name

The command touch allows you to create a new file. (Make sure to add the file extension for the type of file you want to create.)

touch filename.file_extension