10 Essential Linux Commands for Beginners

Posted on July 10, 2025

Learning Linux can be overwhelming at first, but mastering a few core commands will give you confidence in navigating the terminal. Here are ten commands every beginner should know:

• pwd – Displays the current working directory path.
• ls – Lists files and directories in the current directory.
• cd – Changes the current directory.
• mkdir – Creates a new directory.
• touch – Creates an empty file or updates the timestamp of a file.
• rm – Removes files or directories (use with caution).
• cp – Copies files or directories.
• mv – Moves or renames files and directories.
• man – Opens the manual page for a command (e.g., man ls).
• clear – Clears the terminal screen for better visibility.

Practicing these commands regularly will help you become more comfortable using the command line interface.