Linux Commands Cheat Sheet (Ubuntu Quick Reference)

Q: What should I memorize first?

pwd, ls, cd, cp, mv, rm -i, mkdir, grep, find, sudo apt update, man.

Q: Where do permanent aliases go?

Usually ~/.bashrc on Ubuntu Bash, then source ~/.bashrc.

Q: Command not found—what next?

apt search name, install the package, or check echo $PATH / typos with which/type.

A Linux commands cheat sheet is a quick-reference list of terminal commands you reuse every day—navigate folders, copy files, install packages, and manage services—without re-learning flags from scratch. On Ubuntu, open Terminal, type a command, press Enter, and use man command or command --help for details (Ubuntu’s official CLI cheat sheet follows the same idea).

This page is built as a dense table reference (Bash on Ubuntu/Debian-family). It complements longer tutorials: scan a section, copy a line, then check man before anything destructive.

Jump to: navigation · files · search · permissions · apt · processes · network · pipes · history/aliases · one-liners

Concept illustration of a Linux commands cheat sheet next to a terminal window — Scan the tables, copy a command, then check man or --help before running anything destructive.

Help (Always First)

Command	Meaning
`man cmd`	Full manual (`q` quit)
`man -k keyword`	Search man descriptions
`cmd --help`	Short usage
`whatis cmd`	One-line summary
`which cmd`	Path to executable
`type cmd`	Alias, builtin, or binary?

Navigation

Command	Meaning
`pwd`	Print working directory
`ls`	List files
`ls -l`	Long list (perms, owner, size)
`ls -a`	Include hidden (`.file`)
`ls -la`	Long + hidden
`ls -lh`	Human-readable sizes
`cd dir`	Change directory
`cd ..`	Up one level
`cd ~` / `cd`	Home
`cd -`	Previous directory
`cd /`	Root
`tree`	Directory tree (if installed)
`tree -L 2`	Tree depth 2

Files and Directories

Command	Meaning
`mkdir name`	Make directory
`mkdir -p a/b/c`	Make nested dirs
`rmdir name`	Remove empty directory
`touch file`	Create empty / update time
`cp src dest`	Copy file
`cp -a src/ dest/`	Recursive copy, keep attrs
`mv old new`	Move / rename
`rm file`	Delete file
`rm -r dir/`	Delete directory tree
`rm -i file`	Prompt before delete
`cat file`	Print file
`less file`	Page viewer
`head -n 20 file`	First 20 lines
`tail -n 20 file`	Last 20 lines
`tail -f log`	Follow log
`wc -l file`	Count lines
`file path`	Guess file type
`ln -s target link`	Symbolic link

Danger zone: avoid rm -rf / and unquoted globs as root.

Search

Command	Meaning
`grep pattern file`	Match lines in a file
`grep -R pattern dir/`	Recursive search (Ask Ubuntu classic)
`grep -Ri pattern dir/`	Case-insensitive recursive
`grep -n pattern file`	Show line numbers
`find . -name "*.pdf"`	Find by name
`find . -mtime -1`	Modified last day
`find . -type f -empty`	Empty files
`locate name`	Fast DB search (if `mlocate` installed)

Permissions and Users

Command	Meaning
`sudo cmd`	Run as admin
`sudo -i`	Root shell
`whoami`	Current user
`id`	UID/GIDs
`chmod 644 file`	`rw-r--r--`
`chmod u+x script`	Add execute for owner
`chmod -R u+rwX dir/`	Recursive (careful)
`chown user:group file`	Change owner
`umask`	Default permission mask
`passwd`	Change your password
`groups`	Your groups

chmod vs chown (Ask Ubuntu): chmod = can they access it?; chown = who owns it?

Packages (APT + Snap)

Command	Meaning
`sudo apt update`	Refresh indexes
`sudo apt upgrade`	Upgrade packages
`apt search kw`	Search packages
`apt show pkg`	Package info
`sudo apt install pkg`	Install
`sudo apt remove pkg`	Remove (keep configs)
`sudo apt purge pkg`	Remove + configs
`sudo apt autoremove`	Drop unused deps
`apt list --installed`	Installed packages
`sudo snap install pkg`	Snap install
`snap list`	Installed snaps
`sudo snap refresh`	Update snaps

Processes and Services

Command	Meaning
`ps aux`	Process snapshot
`top` / `htop`	Live monitor
`kill PID`	Terminate
`kill -9 PID`	Force kill
`pkill name`	Kill by name
`systemctl status svc`	Service status
`sudo systemctl start svc`	Start
`sudo systemctl stop svc`	Stop
`sudo systemctl restart svc`	Restart
`sudo systemctl enable svc`	Enable at boot
`systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled`	Enabled units
`journalctl -u svc -f`	Follow service logs

Disk, Memory, System Info

Command	Meaning
`df -h`	Disk free (human)
`du -sh *`	Folder sizes here
`du -sh .`	Current dir size
`free -h`	RAM / swap
`uname -a`	Kernel info
`hostnamectl`	Host / OS info
`uptime`	Load / uptime
`lsblk`	Block devices
`lscpu`	CPU info

Network

Command	Meaning
`ip a`	Addresses / interfaces
`ip r`	Routes
`ping -c 4 host`	Connectivity test
`curl -I URL`	HTTP headers
`wget URL`	Download
`ssh user@host`	Remote shell
`scp file user@host:path`	Copy over SSH
`ss -tulpn`	Listening sockets
`sudo ufw status`	Firewall status (if UFW)

Command	Meaning
`tar -xzf a.tar.gz`	Extract gzip tarball
`tar -czf a.tar.gz dir/`	Create gzip tarball
`tar -tzf a.tar.gz`	List contents
`tar -xJf a.tar.xz`	Extract xz tarball
`zip -r a.zip dir/`	Zip folder
`unzip a.zip`	Unzip

Pipes, Redirects, Chaining

From Ubuntu’s CLI-in-depth / cheat sheet:

Syntax	Meaning
`cmd > file`	Overwrite stdout to file
`cmd >> file`	Append stdout
`cmd < file`	File as stdin
`cmd 2> err.txt`	Redirect stderr
`cmd > out 2>&1`	Stdout+stderr to file
`cmd > /dev/null`	Discard stdout
`a \| b`	Pipe a → b
`a && b`	b if a succeeds
`a \|\| b`	b if a fails
`a ; b`	Run both
`cmd &`	Background
`$(cmd)`	Command substitution
`$((1+2))`	Arithmetic

Ask Ubuntu preference: use && in install scripts so later steps stop after failure.

Shell History and Aliases

High-traffic Ask Ubuntu topics:

Command	Meaning
`history`	Show command history
`history \| grep apt`	Search history
`!!`	Re-run last command
`sudo !!`	Re-run last with sudo
`Ctrl+R`	Reverse history search
`alias ll='ls -la'`	Temporary alias
`alias`	List aliases
`type aliasname`	See what an alias runs

Permanent alias (Ask Ubuntu pattern): add alias ll='ls -la' to ~/.bashrc, then source ~/.bashrc.

Copy-Paste One-Liners

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Biggest folders in /
sudo du -xh / --max-depth=1 | sort -h

# Find large files (>100M)
find ~ -type f -size +100M -ls

# Recycle-safe delete prompt
alias rm='rm -i'

# Extract then enter
tar -xzf project.tar.gz && cd project

# Follow auth log
sudo journalctl -u ssh -f

# Backup home (example)
rsync -a --progress ~/Documents/ /media/usb/Documents/

rsync notes from Ask Ubuntu: use --delete only when you intend destination to mirror source; exclude paths with --exclude.

Keyboard / Terminal Survival Keys

Keys	Action
Tab	Autocomplete
Ctrl+C	Cancel command
Ctrl+D	EOF / exit shell
Ctrl+L	Clear screen
Ctrl+R	History search
Ctrl+Z	Suspend job (`fg` to resume)
`reset`	Fix broken terminal (Ask Ubuntu “typed text invisible”)

After the Terminal: Documents on Linux

When you need formatted DOCX/XLSX/PDF instead of plain text, install WPS Office for Linux from the official WPS Linux download page. Keep this cheat sheet for system tasks; use WPS for Microsoft Office–compatible files.

FAQ

Is this the same as Ubuntu’s official cheat sheet?
It follows the same structure and commands as Canonical’s command-line cheat sheet, expanded with apt, systemctl, network, archives, and Ask Ubuntu–common one-liners.

How do I print a Linux commands cheat sheet?
Open this page and print, or copy each table into a doc. For a local copy: man pages stay authoritative when flags change.

What should I memorize first?
pwd, ls, cd, cp, mv, rm -i, mkdir, grep, find, sudo apt update, man.

How do I extract .tar.gz?
tar -xzf file.tar.gz

Where do permanent aliases go?
Usually ~/.bashrc on Ubuntu Bash, then source ~/.bashrc.

Command not found—what next?
apt search name, install the package, or check echo $PATH / typos with which/type.

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Table of Content

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet (Ubuntu Quick Reference)

Help (Always First)

Navigation

Files and Directories

Search

Permissions and Users

Packages (APT + Snap)

Processes and Services

Disk, Memory, System Info

Network

Archives

Pipes, Redirects, Chaining

Shell History and Aliases

Copy-Paste One-Liners

Keyboard / Terminal Survival Keys

After the Terminal: Documents on Linux

FAQ

Other Posts You Might Enjoy

Free Office Suite for Linux

Table of Content

Share Article

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet (Ubuntu Quick Reference)

Help (Always First)

Navigation

Files and Directories

Search

Permissions and Users

Packages (APT + Snap)

Processes and Services

Disk, Memory, System Info

Network

Archives

Pipes, Redirects, Chaining

Shell History and Aliases

Copy-Paste One-Liners

Keyboard / Terminal Survival Keys

After the Terminal: Documents on Linux

FAQ

Other Posts You Might Enjoy