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← Level 0: The basics · Mission 2 of 5

Stop being scared of the black window: the 10 terminal commands every guide assumes

Every GitHub README skips the basics. Learn ten commands and three keyboard tricks in a practice folder, then finish by pulling a live weather forecast straight into your terminal.

20 minBeginnerTools: FreeFree mission
Tested 7 Oct 2026 · Windows PowerShell 5.1, Windows 11
Ten commands, numbered, with a printable cheat sheet you keep next to the keyboard
The three keyboard tricks that save you from typing long paths
The fix for "not recognised" errors, the most common problem on this site
  • Your first real command from the internet: a live weather report in the terminal
Before you start
01/07The 10 commands at a glance0 done
STEP 01 of 07~2 min

The 10 commands at a glance

See the whole kit before you use it, so every step after this has a home.

  1. These ten cover almost every README on this site. You'll type every one of them in the next few steps. Grab the printable cheat sheet and keep it open while you work.

    • 1. `pwd` shows the folder you're in
    • 2. `cd` moves into a folder (cd .. goes up one)
    • 3. `ls` lists what's in the folder
    • 4. `mkdir` makes a new folder
    • 5. `cat` prints a file to the screen
    • 6. `cp` copies a file
    • 7. `mv` moves or renames a file
    • 8. `rm` deletes a file, permanently
    • 9. `where.exe` (Mac: which) finds where a program is installed
    • 10. `curl` fetches something from the internet (Windows: type curl.exe)

  2. Plus three keys: Tab to finish names, Up arrow for your last command, Ctrl + C to stop anything.

    TipIn PowerShell, ls, cat, cp, mv and rm all work just like on a Mac. That's why most Mac-style README commands work on Windows too.
✓
CheckpointYou've got the cheat sheet open in a tab or printed next to you.
Stuck? Ask the community
STEP 02 of 07~4 min

Commands 1 to 4: know where you are, and move around

Half of all beginner errors are running a command in the wrong folder.

  1. Make a practice folder on your Desktop and move into it. mkdir (4) makes a folder, cd (2) moves into it, and pwd (1) shows where you are:

    Windows
    cd $HOME\Desktop
mkdir terminal-practice
cd terminal-practice
pwd
    Mac
    cd ~/Desktop && mkdir terminal-practice && cd terminal-practice && pwd
    Output
    Path
----
C:\Users\you\Desktop\terminal-practice

  2. PowerShell puts a small Path heading above the answer. A Mac prints just the path.

    • cd .. goes up one folder
    • cd ~ (or cd $HOME on Windows) jumps straight to your home folder
    • ls (3) lists what's in the current folder. Right now it's empty, so it prints nothing.
    TipPowerShell also shows the folder you're in at the start of each line, like PS C:\Users\you\Desktop\terminal-practice>. Glance at it before running anything important.
✓
Checkpointpwd shows a path ending in terminal-practice.
If it breakscd says the Desktop path doesn't exist.
cd says the Desktop path doesn't exist.
Your Desktop may live inside OneDrive. On Windows try cd $HOME\OneDrive\Desktop, or skip the Desktop and run the lesson in your home folder with cd ~.
Still stuck? Ask the community
STEP 03 of 07~4 min

Commands 5 to 7: make, read, copy and rename files

READMEs constantly ask you to create, copy or rename a settings file. This is how.

  1. Windows
    mkdir notes
cd notes
"hello from the terminal" > hello.txt
cat hello.txt
    Mac
    mkdir notes && cd notes
echo "hello from the terminal" > hello.txt
cat hello.txt
    Output
    hello from the terminal

  2. > sends text into a file. cat (5) prints a file. Now copy it with cp (6), which is exactly what a README means when it says "copy .env.example to .env". Then rename the copy with mv (7):

    Terminal
    cp hello.txt hello-copy.txt
mv hello-copy.txt backup.txt
ls
    Output
        Directory: C:\Users\you\Desktop\terminal-practice\notes

Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
-a----        12/10/2026     01:03             28 backup.txt
-a----        12/10/2026     01:03             28 hello.txt
    Windows PowerShell running cd, mkdir, pwd, cat, cp, mv and ls in a terminal-practice folder on the Desktop, then curl.exe fetching a plain-text London weather report from wttr.in
    Commands 1 to 7, plus the weather call from Command 10, run back to back in Windows PowerShell.

  3. On a Mac, ls just prints the two names. mv also moves files between folders: mv backup.txt .. moves it up one level.

    TipIn Windows PowerShell, > writes the file as UTF-16, which a few tools misread. If a program later complains that your text file is the wrong encoding, recreate it with Set-Content hello.txt 'hello from the terminal' -Encoding utf8.
✓
Checkpointls shows backup.txt and hello.txt, and no hello-copy.txt.
Stuck? Ask the community
STEP 04 of 07~3 min

Three keyboard tricks

These save you more time than any command.

    • Tab: type the first few letters of a file or folder and press Tab to finish the name. Try cat hel then Tab.
    • Up arrow: brings back your last command. Press it repeatedly to scroll through history, then Enter to run it again.
    • Ctrl + C: stops whatever is running. When a tool is "stuck" or you want to close a server you started, this is the answer.

  2. Two extras: cls (or clear on a Mac) wipes the screen, and explorer . (or open . on a Mac) opens the current folder in a normal window so you can see your files.

    Windows
    explorer .
    Mac
    open .
    TipIn PowerShell, pressing Tab again cycles to the next matching name. Keep pressing it to step through every file or folder that starts with what you typed, then Enter to run.
✓
CheckpointYou've used Tab to finish a filename and the up arrow to rerun a command.
Stuck? Ask the community
STEP 05 of 07~3 min

Command 9: fix "not recognised" for good

The most common error on this site, and the fix is almost always the same.

  1. When you see 'git' is not recognised or command not found, the terminal can't find the program. Check whether it's installed and where:

    Windows
    where.exe git
    Mac
    which git
    Output
    C:\Program Files\Git\cmd\git.exe

  2. If that prints a path, the program is installed and the terminal can find it. If it prints nothing or an error, work down this list:

    • Just installed it? Close every terminal and open a new one. New programs are only visible to new windows.
    • Still not found? Restart the computer.
    • Still not found? It isn't installed. Go back to Install anything from GitHub, step 3.
    CarefulIn PowerShell, type where.exe with the .exe. Plain where means something different there and silently prints nothing.
✓
Checkpointwhere.exe git (or which git) prints a path.
Stuck? Ask the community
STEP 06 of 07~2 min

Command 8: delete, with respect

Learn the one command to treat carefully, then clear away the practice folder.

Windows
cd $HOME\Desktop
rm -r -fo terminal-practice
Mac
cd ~/Desktop && rm -rf terminal-practice
Carefulrm deletes permanently: no Recycle Bin, no undo. Always check where you are with pwd first, and never run a delete command you've copied from somewhere you don't trust.
✓
Checkpointls on your Desktop no longer shows terminal-practice.
Stuck? Ask the community
STEP 07 of 07~2 min

Command 10: pull live weather into your terminal

Your first real command that talks to the internet, and the proof you're ready for every tool lesson.

  1. curl fetches a web address and prints what comes back. Install guides use it all the time to download things. Point it at the free weather service wttr.in and swap London for your town:

    Windows
    curl.exe "wttr.in/London?0T"
    Mac
    curl "wttr.in/London?0T"
    Output
    Weather report: London

                Cloudy
       .--.     +13(11) °C
    .-(    ).   ↖ 9 km/h
   (___.__)__)  10 km
                0.0 mm

  2. Yours shows today's weather where you are. ?0T means "just right now, plain text". Drop it (curl.exe wttr.in/London) for a full three-day forecast, and press Up arrow to rerun it whenever you like.

    TipOn Windows, type curl.exe, not curl. In Windows PowerShell, plain curl is a nickname for a different command and prints a wall of web-page details instead.
    TipWant it in one line? curl.exe "wttr.in/London?format=3" prints a single row like London: partly cloudy +14°C, handy for a quick glance.
✓
CheckpointA weather report for your town appears in the terminal.
If it breaksIt says it can't resolve the host, or it times out.
It says it can't resolve the host, or it times out.
Check your internet connection and try again in a minute. Some work and school networks block it; try it at home.
Still stuck? Ask the community

Your first wins

It works. Now do something with it.

Ask AI to explain any command before you run it

Before pasting a command from a README or a video, paste it here first:

Prompt
Explain this terminal command in plain English, part by part. Tell me what it will change on my computer, whether anything is deleted or downloaded, and whether it's safe to run on Windows PowerShell:

[paste the command]

Now install something real

You've got everything you need for the tool lessons. A good first one: run a ChatGPT-style AI on your own laptop.

Undo it cleanly

How to remove everything this mission installed.

The delete step already removed the practice folder. Nothing was installed, and the weather command only read from the internet and saved nothing.

Next mission · Level 0: The basicsGive every project an undo button: Git without memorising a single command
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