macOS Terminal Commands · CyberGrind

iTerm2 — zsh — macOS Sequoia

# macOS default shell is zsh (since Catalina). BSD tools differ from GNU (Linux) versions

logan@MacBook-Pro ~ % ls -lah ~/Documents | grep -i "\.pdf" | awk '{print $5, $9}'

1.2M Report_2024.pdf

macOS ≠ Linux: macOS uses BSD versions of core utilities. Key difference: sed -i '' requires empty string after -i on macOS (BSD), but not on Linux (GNU). This breaks Linux scripts on Mac. Install GNU coreutils via Homebrew for full compatibility.

// Navigation & macOS-Specific Commands

ls -lah -G

-G = colorized (BSD flag, not --color)

List files. BSD ls uses -G for color instead of GNU's --color=auto. -@ shows extended attributes.

open file.pdf | open -a Safari url

⚠ macOS ONLY — opens in Finder/app

Opens file with default application — like double-clicking in Finder. open . opens current folder in Finder.

pbcopy < file.txt | pbpaste

⚠ macOS ONLY — clipboard

pbcopy writes stdin to clipboard. pbpaste reads clipboard to stdout. cat file | pbcopy copies file content.

mdfind "kMDItemKind == 'PDF'"

⚠ macOS ONLY — Spotlight CLI

Uses Spotlight metadata index — much faster than find for content searches. -onlyin to scope to directory.

sed -i '' 's/old/new/g' file.txt

⚠ BSD sed REQUIRES '' after -i

Critical difference: BSD sed needs empty string after -i. Linux GNU sed does not. Breaks cross-platform scripts!

lsof -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN -n -P

macOS uses lsof — Linux uses ss

List listening ports. macOS uses lsof for this; Linux uses ss. -n=no DNS -P=no port names.

sw_vers | diskutil list

system info · disk utility

sw_vers shows macOS version/build. diskutil list shows all disks. diskutil info /dev/disk0 for details.

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

macOS preferences DB

Read/write macOS app preferences stored in plist files. Show hidden files, change Dock behavior, etc.

// Homebrew — macOS Package Manager

brew install nmap

Install a CLI package (formula)

brew install --cask firefox

Install a GUI app (cask)

brew upgrade

Upgrade all installed packages

brew list | brew search term

List installed / search packages

brew uninstall package

Remove a package

brew doctor

Diagnose Homebrew issues

// macOS BSD vs Linux GNU — Key Differences

Task	macOS (BSD)	Linux (GNU)
In-place sed	sed -i '' 's/x/y/g' file	sed -i 's/x/y/g' file
Colorized ls	ls -G	ls --color=auto
Listening ports	lsof -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN	ss -tlnp
Network interfaces	ifconfig / networksetup	ip addr show
Service management	launchctl (launchd)	systemctl (systemd)
File metadata search	mdfind (Spotlight)	locate / find
Open in GUI	open file.pdf	xdg-open file.pdf
Clipboard	pbcopy / pbpaste	xclip / xsel
System version	sw_vers	uname -a / lsb_release
RAM info	sysctl -n hw.memsize	free -h
Install packages	brew install package	apt / dnf / pacman
Default shell	zsh (Catalina+)	bash (most distros)

// Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + CInterrupt / kill running command

Ctrl + RReverse search command history

Ctrl + A/EJump to start / end of line

Ctrl + LClear screen (same as clear)

Ctrl + ZSuspend to background (fg resume)

TabAutocomplete (zsh: Tab twice = menu)