Basic Navigation

Navigating the File System

Linux organizes everything in a tree structure starting from / (root). Three essential commands let you move around: pwd (where am I?), ls (what's here?), and cd (go somewhere).

pwd — Print Working Directory

bash
# pwd shows your current location
pwd
# Output: /home/user

ls — List Directory Contents

bash
# List files and folders
ls

# Long format with details (permissions, size, date)
ls -l

# Show hidden files too (files starting with .)
ls -la

# List a specific directory
ls /etc

cd — Change Directory

bash
# Go into a directory
cd Documents

# Go up one level
cd ..

# Go to home directory
cd ~
# or just:
cd

# Go to an absolute path
cd /etc

# Go back to previous directory
cd -

Tip:Try navigating around in the terminal! Use pwd to check where you are, ls to see what's around, and cd to move. Use cd .. to go back up.

Terminalbash
Welcome to the Linux Terminal Simulator!
Type commands below. Use 'help' to see available commands.
user@codewithmuh:~$
Try:

💬 Got questions? Ask me anything!