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Bash Cheat Sheet

Print-ready cheat sheet for Bash, organized for fast lookup, study, and desk-side use

Source
GNU Bash Manual (gnu.org/software/bash/manual)
License
MIT
Updated
2026-03-27

Sample

What's in this cheat sheet

  • Basics
  • Variables & Expansion
  • Conditionals
  • Loops
  • Functions
  • Pipes & Redirection
  • File Operations
  • Text Processing
  • Permissions

echo & Navigation

echo "Hello, World!"     # print text
pwd                      # print working directory
cd /path/to/dir          # change directory
cd ..                    # go up one level
cd ~                     # go to home directory
cd -                     # go to previous directory

Listing & Creating

ls                # list files
ls -la            # long format, show hidden
ls -lh            # human-readable sizes
mkdir mydir       # create directory
mkdir -p a/b/c    # create nested directories

Copy, Move & Remove

cp file.txt copy.txt      # copy file
cp -r dir/ backup/        # copy directory recursively
mv old.txt new.txt        # rename / move
rm file.txt               # delete file
rm -r dir/                # delete directory recursively
rm -rf dir/               # force delete (no prompt)

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