Navigation

Summary

This note is a quick reference for basic shell navigation. These are the commands and shortcuts you use constantly when moving around the filesystem.

Commands

Command	Purpose
pwd	show the current working directory
ls -lah	list files in long format, including hidden entries, with human-readable sizes
cd ..	move to the parent directory
cd ~	move to the home directory
cd -	move back to the previous directory
~	shorthand for the home directory in paths

Helpful shortcuts

Shortcut	Purpose
Tab	autocomplete commands and paths
Ctrl + R	search command history

Example usage

pwd
ls -lah
cd ..
cd -
cd ~

Notes

• cd by itself usually takes you back to your home directory
• cd - is one of the most useful navigation habits for quickly switching between two locations

Related

• Back to Linux Reference
• [File management](File management)
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• [Command management](Command management)