Top 50 Most-Used Linux & Windows Commands

Top 50 Most-Used Linux & Windows Commands

Linux Commands

Command	Description	Syntax
ls	Lists files and directories.	ls [options] [directory]
cd	Changes the current directory.	cd [directory]
pwd	Displays the current directory path.	pwd
mkdir	Creates a new directory.	mkdir [directory]
rmdir	Removes an empty directory.	rmdir [directory]
rm	Removes files or directories.	rm [options] [file/directory]
cp	Copies files or directories.	cp [options] source destination
mv	Moves or renames files or directories.	mv [source] [destination]
touch	Creates an empty file or updates the timestamp.	touch [file]
cat	Displays the contents of a file.	cat [file]
less	Views the contents of a file one screen at a time.	less [file]
head	Displays the first few lines of a file.	head [file]
tail	Displays the last few lines of a file.	tail [file]
echo	Outputs text to the terminal.	echo [text]
chmod	Changes file permissions.	chmod [permissions] [file]
chown	Changes file owner and group.	chown [owner]:[group] [file]
find	Searches for files and directories.	find [path] [options]
grep	Searches text within files.	grep [options] [pattern] [file]
man	Displays the manual for a command.	man [command]
df	Displays disk space usage.	df [options]
du	Displays directory space usage.	du [options] [directory]
top	Displays running processes.	top
ps	Displays current processes.	ps [options]
kill	Terminates a process by PID.	kill [PID]
pkill	Terminates processes by name.	pkill [process_name]
wget	Downloads files from the web.	wget [URL]
curl	Transfers data from or to a server.	curl [options] [URL]
ssh	Connects to a remote server via SSH.	ssh [user]@[host]
scp	Securely copies files between hosts.	scp [source] [destination]
nano	Opens a text editor.	nano [file]
vim	Opens a powerful text editor.	vim [file]
tar	Archives files.	tar [options] [archive_file] [file/directory]
zip	Compresses files into a zip archive.	zip [options] [archive_file] [file/directory]
unzip	Extracts files from a zip archive.	unzip [archive_file]
alias	Creates an alias for a command.	alias [name]='[command]'
unalias	Removes an alias.	unalias [name]
history	Shows command history.	history
clear	Clears the terminal screen.	clear
reboot	Reboots the system.	reboot
shutdown	Shuts down the system.	shutdown [options]
ping	Checks connectivity to a host.	ping [host]
hostname	Displays or sets the system's hostname.	hostname [name]
ifconfig	Configures network interfaces.	ifconfig [interface]
netstat	Displays network connections.	netstat [options]
iptables	Manages firewall rules.	iptables [options]
service	Manages system services.	service [service_name] [command]
systemctl	Controls the systemd system and service manager.	systemctl [command] [service_name]
df	Displays disk space usage.	df [options]
mount	Mounts file systems.	mount [options] [device] [directory]
umount	Unmounts file systems.	umount [device]

Windows Commands

Command	Description	Syntax
dir	Lists files and directories in the current directory.	dir [options] [directory]
cd	Changes the current directory.	cd [directory]
md/mkdir	Creates a new directory.	md [directory]
rd/rmdir	Removes an empty directory.	rd [directory]
del	Deletes files.	del [file]
copy	Copies files from one location to another.	copy [source] [destination]
move	Moves files from one location to another.	move [source] [destination]
ren/rename	Renames a file or directory.	ren [old_name] [new_name]
type	Displays the contents of a file.	type [file]
cls	Clears the Command Prompt screen.	cls
echo	Displays a message or turns command echoing on or off.	echo [message]
attrib	Displays or changes file attributes.	attrib [options] [file]
chkdsk	Checks a disk and displays a status report.	chkdsk [options] [drive:]
tasklist	Displays a list of currently running processes.	tasklist
taskkill	Terminates a running process.	taskkill [options]
ipconfig	Displays network configuration information.	ipconfig [options]
ping	Tests network connectivity.	ping [host]
hostname	Displays the computer's hostname.	hostname
netstat	Displays network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.	netstat [options]
nslookup	Queries the DNS to obtain domain name or IP address mapping.	nslookup [hostname]
tracert	Traces the route to a network host.	tracert [host]
netsh	Configures network interfaces, firewall settings, and more.	netsh [command]
format	Formats a disk for use with Windows.	format [options] [drive:]
shutdown	Shuts down or restarts the computer.	shutdown [options]
regedit	Opens the Windows Registry Editor.	regedit
msconfig	Opens the System Configuration utility.	msconfig
sfc	Scans and repairs system files.	sfc [options]
diskpart	Manages disk partitions.	diskpart
wmic	Displays WMI information inside an interactive command shell.	wmic [alias] [command]
systeminfo	Displays detailed system information.	systeminfo
gpupdate	Updates Group Policy settings.	gpupdate [options]
gpresult	Displays Group Policy settings and resultant set of policy (RSoP) for a user or computer.	gpresult [options]
bcdedit	Manages Boot Configuration Data.	bcdedit [options]
cipher	Displays or alters the encryption of directories [files] on NTFS partitions.	cipher [options] [directory]
powercfg	Manages power settings.	powercfg [options]
driverquery	Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties.	driverquery [options]
schtasks	Manages scheduled tasks.	schtasks [options]
net	Manages network resources.	net [command]
assoc	Displays or modifies file extension associations.	assoc [file_extension]=[file_type]
ftype	Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.	ftype [file_type]=[command_string]
path	Displays or sets a search path for executable files.	path [options]
where	Locates and displays files in directories in a command prompt.	where [options] [file_name]
doskey	Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros.	doskey [options]
prompt	Changes the Windows Command Prompt.	prompt [text]
title	Sets the window title for the Command Prompt.	title [text]
cls	Clears the Command Prompt screen.	cls
pause	Pauses the execution of a batch file and shows a message.	pause
set	Displays, sets, or removes environment variables.	set [variable]=[value]
ver	Displays the Windows version number.	ver
exit	Closes the Command Prompt.	exit