The Big Picture
A text box that talks to your computer — one instruction at a time.
Apps give you buttons. The Terminal gives you a blinking cursor. You type a short instruction, press Return, and the computer does that one thing. You need it for Git, for getting into the right folder, and for any tool that only has a command — not a pretty window.
- Go to a folder without clicking through Finder
- Run Git so you can save and push — see the GitHub 101
- See exactly what happened — the reply is text you can copy
The Texting Analogy
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Terminal
The window where you type. On a Mac: Terminal.app. In Cursor: the bottom panel.
Prompt
The text before your cursor. It means: I am ready. Type here.
Directory
A folder. pwd tells you which one you are standing in.
Path
The address of a file or folder. ~ is your home.
Setting Up
Mac
Command + Space, type Terminal, press Return. You do not install it — it is already there.
Inside Cursor
New Terminal, or Control + `. It usually starts in your project folder.
Windows
Use Git Bash (from git-scm.com) so the commands in the GitHub guide match.
First Commands
Type exactly. Press Return. Read the reply.
pwd = where am I. ls = what’s here. whoami = your username. If you see command not found, you typo’d — try again.
Moving Around
This is 80% of beginner use: know where you are, then go somewhere.
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
pwd | Print working directory — where am I? |
ls / ls -la | List files (long + hidden) |
cd Documents | Go into that folder (case-sensitive) |
cd .. | Go up one folder |
cd ~ or cd | Go home |
Press Tab to finish a name. Type cd and drag a folder from Finder to paste the path.
Looking at Files
cat README.md prints a short file. open . on a Mac opens this folder in Finder. Edit novels in Cursor — use the Terminal to get there.
Making Things
| Type | Does |
|---|---|
mkdir practice-folder | Create a folder |
touch notes.md | Create an empty file |
cp a.md b.md | Copy |
mv a.md inbox.md | Rename or move |
rm file.md | Delete forever — no Trash |
How Commands Work
Most lines are command -flags arguments. Spaces matter. If a folder has a space: cd "My Folder".
cd and mkdir are like that. Check with pwd or ls.Path to GitHub
Stand in the project, then use the Git words from the GitHub 101.
If Git says not a git repository, you are in the wrong folder.
Dangerous Commands
| Command | Safer habit |
|---|---|
rm / rm -r | ls first. Prefer Finder Trash while learning. |
rm -rf / | Never type this. |
sudo | You almost never need it for Git or these guides. |
| A long paste from the internet | Read it. If you don’t understand it, don’t run it. |
When It Breaks
- command not found — typo, or Git is not installed.
- No such file or directory — wrong name or folder.
pwd+ls. - Stuck on
>— unclosed quote. Control + C. - Stuck in vim — type
:q!and Return. Edit in Cursor instead.
Vs Other Tools
Finder to browse and trash safely. Terminal when a guide says “run this.” GitHub Desktop if Git-in-the-terminal is still too much. Cursor when you want an agent — it has a terminal inside it.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
Skipping pwd | Always check where you are |
| Ignoring case | Tab complete |
| Spaces without quotes | cd "My Folder" |
| Pasting blindly | Read every line |
Using sudo to “make it work” | Fix the path instead |
Cheat Sheet
pwd · ls · cd Folder · cd .. · cd ~ · open . · mkdir · touch · Control+C · Tab
Git: GitHub 101. Editor: Cursor 101.
Glossary
Shell reads your commands (often zsh). ~ is home. . is this folder. .. is the parent. rm deletes with no Trash.