Terminal essentials

The terminal (also called command line, shell, or CLI) is a text interface to your computer. It looks intimidating but you only need a handful of commands to be effective. AI tools like Cursor will often ask you to run commands — this guide makes sure you understand what’s happening.

Opening the terminal

Mac: Cmd + Space → type “Terminal” → Enter. Or use the terminal inside Cursor/VS Code (Ctrl + ~).
Windows: Search “PowerShell” or use Windows Terminal. Inside Cursor: Ctrl + ~.
In Cursor: The integrated terminal is at the bottom of the editor. Your AI assistant can run commands here directly.

The 15 commands you actually need

Command	What it does	Example
`pwd`	Print where you are right now	`pwd` → `/Users/nick/projects/my-app`
`ls`	List files and folders here	`ls` → shows `src/ package.json README.md`
`ls -la`	List everything including hidden files, with details	Shows `.env`, `.git/`, file sizes
`cd folder`	Move into a folder	`cd src`
`cd ..`	Go up one level	From `/src/components` to `/src`
`cd ~`	Go to your home directory	From anywhere to `/Users/nick`
`cd -`	Go back to where you just were	Toggles between last two locations

Files and folders

Command	What it does	Example
`mkdir name`	Create a folder	`mkdir components`
`touch file`	Create an empty file	`touch .env.local`
`cp source dest`	Copy a file	`cp .env.example .env.local`
`mv old new`	Move or rename	`mv old-name.tsx new-name.tsx`
`rm file`	Delete a file (no undo!)	`rm temp.txt`
`rm -rf folder`	Delete a folder and everything in it (careful!)	`rm -rf node_modules`

Running things

Command	What it does	Example
`npm install`	Install project dependencies	Run in your project root
`npm run dev`	Start the dev server	Opens your app at `localhost:3000`
`Ctrl + C`	Stop a running process	Kills the dev server
`clear`	Clear the terminal screen	Just tidies up

Understanding what you see


nick@macbook my-app %

This is your prompt. It tells you: who (nick), where (my-app folder), and the % (or $) means it’s ready for input.

When you run a command and nothing prints, that usually means it worked. Unix tools are quiet on success.

The concepts that matter

Path — the address of a file or folder. /Users/nick/projects/my-app/src/page.tsx is an absolute path. src/page.tsx is a relative path (relative to where you are now).

Home directory (~) — your user folder. ~/Desktop means /Users/nick/Desktop.

Hidden files — files starting with . (like .env, .gitignore). They exist but ls won’t show them unless you add -a.

Environment variables — values set in your shell session. When docs say “set your API key,” they often mean add it to .env.local and your framework loads it automatically.

Pipes (|) — send the output of one command into another. ls | grep "test" lists files then filters for ones containing “test”. You’ll rarely write these yourself but AI assistants use them.

sudo — run as admin. If a command fails with “permission denied,” you might need sudo command. Be careful — sudo can change system files.

Common situations

“I need to install something globally”


npm install -g vercel

The -g flag installs it system-wide, not just in your project.

“I need to see if something is running on a port”


lsof -i :3000

Shows what’s using port 3000. Kill it with kill PID (the number in the output).

“I need to find a file”


find . -name "*.tsx"

Finds all .tsx files starting from the current directory.

“A command just failed” Read the error message — it usually says what’s wrong. Common fixes:

command not found → you need to install it
permission denied → try sudo or check file permissions
EADDRINUSE → another process is using that port

Tips

Tab completion — start typing a file/folder name and press Tab. The terminal will auto-complete it.
Up arrow — cycles through your previous commands. Way faster than retyping.
history — shows your recent commands. Use history | grep "search term" to find one.
Copy/paste — in Mac terminal: Cmd+C to copy, Cmd+V to paste. In most terminals, right-click also works.

Git & GitHub — version control commands you’ll use alongside these
Editor & AI — the integrated terminal in your editor
Deployment — where terminal commands meet hosting

Last reviewed: April 2026.