Command Line Test Review: Windows 11 & Linux Commands

Vocabulary flashcards covering Windows 11 and Linux command-line tools, utilities, file navigation, networking, process management, and user administration.

dir

Lists all files and folders inside your current folder in Windows.

cd [folder_name]

Moves you forward into that specific folder.

cd ..

Moves you backward one folder level up.

cd \

Takes you all the way back to the root directory (usually the C: drive) in Windows.

mkdir (Windows)

Creates a brand new folder.

ren

Renames a file or folder in Windows.

copy

Copies a file from one place to another in Windows.

del

Permanently deletes a file in Windows.

rmdir (Windows)

Deletes an empty folder in Windows.

ipconfig

Displays your computer’s current network configurations, including local IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.

ping (Windows)

Sends test packets (ICMP Echo Requests) to a target host to verify network reachability and measure round-trip time.

tracert

Traces and displays the hop-by-hop route that data packets take to reach a destination host, showing delays along the path.

cls

Clears the entire screen so you have a fresh, blank prompt to work with.

systeminfo

Loads a comprehensive list of your PC's hardware, operating system version, and boot time.

help [command]

Gives you an explanation and a list of options for any specific command in Windows.

exit

Closes the Command Prompt window.

locate *.doc

Searches the indexed database for all files ending with .doc.

sudo adduser

Interactive script to create a new user account in Linux.

sudo usermod -aG sudo

Appends (-a) a user to the sudo group (-G) to grant administrative privileges.

sudo passwd -e

Immediately expires a user's password, forcing them to change it on next login.

sudo ufw enable/status

Enables the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) or checks its active status and rules.

sudo systemctl stop

Stops a running system process or service in Linux.

sudo apt update

Updates the local package index with the latest available packages from repositories.

sudo apt full-upgrade -y

Upgrades all installed packages, automatically handling changing dependencies without prompting (-y).

ss

Utility to investigate socket statistics (replaces older network tools like netstat).

ss / netstat option -t

Displays or filters output to show only TCP sockets/connections using the Transmission Control Protocol.

ss / netstat option -u

Displays or filters output to show only UDP sockets/connections using the User Datagram Protocol.

ss / netstat option -l

Displays only listening sockets (ports waiting for incoming connections) rather than established connections.

ss / netstat option -n

Prevents resolving service names/hostnames and instead displays raw numerical addresses and port numbers directly to run faster.

ps

Displays a snapshot of current running processes.

cat

Displays the entire contents of the specified error log file to standard output.

sudo deluser

Deletes a user account from the system.

sudo gpasswd -a

Adds a specific user to a specified target group.

sudo chage -M

Sets the maximum number of days (-M) between password changes for an account.

getent shadow

Fetches and displays entries from the shadow password database file (/etc/shadow).

/etc/shadow

A secure Linux system file that stores encrypted user password hashes and password-aging metadata.

sudo addgroup

Creates a new user group on the system.

sudo passwd -l

Locks a user's account by disabling their password.

touch

Updates file timestamps or creates a new empty file if it doesn't exist.

gedit

Opens a text file in the default GNOME graphical text editor.

systemctl status

Displays the current running status, logs, and activity of a system service.

sudo systemctl enable ufw

Configures the UFW service to automatically start at system boot.

sudo systemctl disable

Prevents a specific service from starting automatically at system boot.

sudo sh

Executes a shell script file with root administrative privileges using the system shell.

rm

Removes (deletes) specified files or directories in Linux.

sudo apt purge

Completely removes a package along with all of its system configuration files.

ls

Lists directory contents and file information.

ls -a

Displays hidden files and directories (those starting with a dot .), including the current directory (.) and the parent directory (..).

ls -l

Outputs detailed metadata for each file across seven distinct columns (long listing).

pwd

Displays the absolute path of the current working directory.

cd (Linux)

Changes the current working directory.

locate

Searches for files by name using a pre-built system database.

find

Searches for files and directories in real-time based on names, sizes, or permissions.

mkdir (Linux)

Creates one or more new directories.

rmdir (Linux)

Removes empty directories from the filesystem.

cp

Copies files or directories from one location to another in Linux.

mv

Moves or renames files and directories in Linux.

zip

Compresses files or directories into a standard .zip archive.

unzip

Extracts files from a compressed .zip archive.

su

Switches to another user account (defaults to root if no user is specified).

whoami

Prints the username associated with the currently logged-in user session.

useradd

Low-level utility to create a new user account in Linux.

userdel

Removes a user account from the system.

sudo passwd

Forces password change for user.

sudo systemctl start

Starts a process in Linux.

kill

Sends a signal to terminate a running process by its Process ID (PID).

ping (Linux)

Sends ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts to test connection and response time.

netstat

Displays network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.