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Linux Mint Terminal: Commands You'll Use Daily

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Introduction

When you first open the terminal in Linux Mint, it might feel intimidating. That black screen with blinking cursor looks nothing like the friendly GUI you're used to.

Good news: You don't need to memorize hundreds of commands. About 20 commands cover 80% of what you'll actually do day-to-day.

In this guide, I'll show you the essential Linux Mint command line basics that you'll genuinely use—no obscure commands that you'll forget tomorrow.

Why Bother with the Command Line?

Learning basic terminal commands gives you:

• Speed - Many tasks are faster typed than clicked
• Power - Access to tools not available in the GUI
• Understanding - Know what's actually happening on your system
• Problem solving - Most Linux solutions online use terminal commands

Getting Started: Opening the Terminal

Three ways to open the terminal in Linux Mint:

• Press Ctrl + Alt + T (fastest way)
• Click Menu → Terminal
• Right-click on desktop → Open in Terminal

Navigation Commands: Finding Your Way

These commands help you move around your file system.

pwd - Where Am I?

Shows your current directory (Print Working Directory).

pwd
# Output: /home/yourusername

ls - What's Here?

Lists files and folders in your current directory.

ls                 # Basic list
ls -l              # Detailed list with permissions, size, date
ls -la             # Show hidden files too
ls -lh             # Human-readable file sizes (KB, MB, GB)

cd - Change Directory

Move between folders.

cd Documents       # Go to Documents folder
cd ..              # Go up one level
cd ~               # Go to your home directory
cd -               # Go back to previous directory
cd /               # Go to root directory

File Management: Creating, Moving, Copying

Essential commands for working with files and folders.

mkdir - Create Directories

mkdir projects              # Create one folder
mkdir -p projects/web/css   # Create nested folders

touch - Create Empty Files

touch index.html            # Create a single file
touch style.css script.js   # Create multiple files

cp - Copy Files

cp file.txt backup.txt           # Copy file
cp -r folder new_folder          # Copy folder and contents
cp *.txt Documents/              # Copy all .txt files to Documents

mv - Move or Rename

mv oldname.txt newname.txt       # Rename file
mv file.txt Documents/           # Move file to Documents
mv *.jpg Pictures/               # Move all images

rm - Delete Files

Warning: Deleted files don't go to Trash—they're gone permanently!

rm file.txt                # Delete a file
rm *.tmp                   # Delete all .tmp files
rm -r folder               # Delete folder and contents
rm -rf folder              # Force delete (use with extreme caution!)

Viewing File Contents

Read files without opening an editor.

cat - Display Entire File

cat file.txt               # Show file contents
cat file1.txt file2.txt    # Show multiple files

less - Read Long Files

Opens files in a scrollable viewer. Press q to quit.

less long-file.txt
# Use arrow keys to scroll, q to quit

head and tail - First or Last Lines

head file.txt              # First 10 lines
head -n 20 file.txt        # First 20 lines
tail file.txt              # Last 10 lines
tail -f log.txt            # Follow file (great for logs)

grep - Search Inside Files

Find text within files.

grep "error" log.txt                    # Find "error" in file
grep -r "TODO" .                        # Search all files in current folder
grep -i "warning" log.txt               # Case-insensitive search

Text Editing: nano

For beginners, nano is the easiest terminal text editor.

nano file.txt

Basic nano shortcuts:

• Ctrl + O - Save file
• Ctrl + X - Exit
• Ctrl + K - Cut line
• Ctrl + U - Paste
• Ctrl + W - Search

File Permissions and Ownership

Understanding who can read, write, or execute files.

Understanding rwx

When you run ls -l, you'll see something like:

-rw-r--r-- 1 user group 1234 Dec 7 10:00 file.txt

This breaks down as:

• rw- - Owner can read and write
• r-- - Group can only read
• r-- - Others can only read

chmod - Change Permissions

chmod +x script.sh         # Make file executable
chmod 755 script.sh        # rwx for owner, rx for others
chmod 644 file.txt         # rw for owner, r for others

Common permission numbers:

• 755 - Executable files, scripts
• 644 - Regular files
• 777 - Full permissions (rarely needed, avoid)

chown - Change Ownership

sudo chown user:group file.txt
sudo chown -R user:group folder/

Package Management with APT

Installing and managing software from the terminal.

Update Package Lists

sudo apt update

Upgrade Installed Packages

sudo apt upgrade            # Upgrade all packages
sudo apt upgrade firefox    # Upgrade specific package

Install Software

sudo apt install gimp                    # Install single package
sudo apt install vlc htop curl           # Install multiple packages

Remove Software

sudo apt remove package-name             # Remove package
sudo apt purge package-name              # Remove with config files
sudo apt autoremove                      # Remove unused dependencies

Search for Packages

apt search photo editor
apt show gimp               # Show package details

System Information Commands

Check what's happening on your system.

top - Task Manager

Shows running processes and resource usage. Press q to quit.

top
# Or use htop for a better interface:
sudo apt install htop
htop

df - Disk Space

df -h                # Show all disk usage
df -h /home          # Show specific partition

du - Directory Size

du -sh folder/               # Size of specific folder
du -sh */                    # Size of all folders in current directory
du -h --max-depth=1          # Size of subdirectories

free - Memory Usage

free -h              # Human-readable memory info

uname - System Information

uname -a             # All system info
uname -r             # Kernel version

Process Management

Control running programs.

ps - List Processes

ps aux               # List all running processes
ps aux | grep firefox    # Find specific process

kill - Stop Processes

kill 1234            # Kill process with ID 1234
killall firefox      # Kill all Firefox processes
kill -9 1234         # Force kill (last resort)

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl + C - Stop current command
• Ctrl + Z - Pause command (use fg to resume)
• Ctrl + D - Exit terminal

Network Commands

Basic networking tools.

ping - Test Connectivity

ping google.com      # Test internet connection
ping -c 4 google.com # Ping 4 times then stop

curl and wget - Download Files

curl https://example.com/file.zip -o file.zip
wget https://example.com/file.zip

ip - Network Information

ip addr              # Show IP addresses
ip route             # Show routing table

Productivity Shortcuts and Tips

Make your terminal work faster.

Tab Completion

Press Tab to auto-complete file and folder names:

cd Doc[Tab]          # Completes to Documents/

Command History

• Press ↑ to scroll through previous commands
• Press Ctrl + R then type to search history
• Type history to see all previous commands

Clear the Screen

clear                # Clear terminal
# Or press Ctrl + L

Repeat Last Command

!!                   # Run last command again
sudo !!              # Run last command with sudo

Command Chaining

cd projects && ls            # Run both if first succeeds
mkdir test || echo "Failed"  # Run second if first fails
command1; command2           # Run both regardless

Redirection and Pipes

ls > files.txt               # Save output to file
ls >> files.txt              # Append output to file
cat file1.txt file2.txt > combined.txt
ls -l | grep ".txt"          # Pipe output to another command

Real-World Examples

Practical scenarios you'll actually encounter.

Example 1: Find Large Files

du -h ~ | sort -rh | head -20
# Shows 20 largest files/folders in home directory

Example 2: Clean Up Old Log Files

find ~/logs -name "*.log" -mtime +30 -delete
# Deletes log files older than 30 days

Example 3: Install Development Tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git curl build-essential

Example 4: Search for Files

find . -name "*.php"              # Find all PHP files
find . -name "config*"            # Find files starting with "config"
locate filename                    # Fast search (needs updatedb first)

Example 5: Create a Backup

tar -czf backup.tar.gz ~/Documents
# Creates compressed backup of Documents folder

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Navigation:

• pwd - Show current directory
• ls -la - List files with details
• cd folder - Change directory

File Management:

• mkdir folder - Create directory
• touch file - Create file
• cp source dest - Copy
• mv source dest - Move/rename
• rm file - Delete

Viewing Files:

• cat file - Display file
• less file - Scroll through file
• head/tail file - First/last lines
• grep "text" file - Search in file

System:

• top - Task manager
• df -h - Disk space
• free -h - Memory usage
• sudo apt update - Update packages
• sudo apt install app - Install software

Tips for Learning

Start small: Pick 5 commands and use them daily for a week. Once they feel natural, add 5 more.

Use man pages: Type man command to see the manual for any command.

man ls               # Read full documentation for ls

Practice safely: Create a test folder to practice file operations:

mkdir ~/practice
cd ~/practice
# Now experiment without fear

Don't memorize flags: Remember the basic command, then use --help when you need options:

ls --help

Conclusion

The Linux Mint command line isn't as scary as it looks. With these 20 essential commands, you can:

• Navigate your system efficiently
• Manage files and folders
• Install and update software
• Monitor system resources
• Search and edit files

Start with the basics—navigation and file management. Once those feel comfortable, add system commands and package management. Before you know it, you'll reach for the terminal first, not last.

The terminal becomes second nature with practice. Give it two weeks of daily use, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.