The shell path for a user in macOS or OSX is a set of locations in the filing system whereby the user has permissions to use certain applications, commands and programs without the need to specify the full path to that command or program in the Terminal. This will work in macOS Mojave, Sierra and all older OSX operating systems; El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks and Lion.
- Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal Shortcut
- Mac Delete Directory Terminal
- Change Directory In Mac
- Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal Linux
- Change File Permissions Mac Terminal
- Mac Terminal Commands Change Directory
So instead of running something like this, with a path to the command:
You can just type the command, regardless of where you are in the filing system:
I usually type cd, then drag the folder (from Finder) that I want to open in Terminal, and drop it in Terminal. This will add the full directory path, then press enter to change to the dropped directory.
Your shell path is a bunch of absolute paths of the filing system separated by colons :
Within the Finder follow these 4 steps: (1) Select the macOS default Download folder and go to File Get Info. (2) At top left of the Info window, click the icon and then go to Edit Copy. (3) Select the other folder you've set up to be your Downloads folder and then go to File Get Info. (4) Click the icon at top left and then go to Edit. Of course change the url in the example for the one of the file you need to download. Conclusion Yes, it may be ease to perform this task from the GUI rather than using the terminal, but in any case you may need this, I hope this is useful for you, and the terminal may help you get the most of you Mac OS X. If the file or folder you want to rename is in the current working directory(to check your current working directory just type pwd on terminal and hit return): mv old-folder-name new-folder-name. If the file or folder you wish to rename is not in the current working directory then you need to provide the full file. Mac OS X doesn’t have an obvious way to view the exact text based path to a folder (otherwise known as a directory) in the finder window. You can have it show a graphical path, but getting just the text based path to a directory (for use in the Terminal for example) requires a couple of extra steps.
You can find out whats in your path by launching Terminal in Applications/Utilities and entering:
And the result should be like this…
So this is stating that you can run Unix style applications or commands located in 5 default locations of a certain path in the filing system:
- /usr/bin
- /bin
- /usr/sbin
- /sbin
- /usr/local/bin
These directories are not visible by default in the filing system but you can make them visible.
Adding a Temporary Location
You can add extra locations to your path, in the mysql example above it’s location /usr/local/mysql/bin which is not in the default path, you can add it in Terminal like so:
So here I have copied my existing path and added the new location on the end. Test it by running echo $PATH again in the Terminal.
One of the disadvantages of this is that the new location will only be honored for that particular Terminal session, when a new Terminal window is launched it will have the original default path again.
Adding in a Permanent Location
To make the new pathstick permanently you need to create a .bash_profile file in your home directory and set the path there. This file control various Terminal environment preferences including the path.
Move into home directory
Create the .bash_profile file with a command line editor called nano
Add in the above line which declares the new location /usr/local/mysql/bin as well as the original path declared as $PATH.
Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal Shortcut
Save the file in nano by clicking ‘control’ +’o’ and confirming the name of the file is .bash_profile by hitting return. And the ‘control’+’x’ to exit nano
So now when the Terminal is relaunched or a new window made and you check the the path by
Mac Delete Directory Terminal
You will get the new path at the front followed by the default path locations, all the time
Rearranging the default $PATH
If you needed to rearrange the paths in the default $PATH variable, you can just do that and leave off $PATH.
So lets say you want /use/local/bin at the beginning to take precedence you can add the default path like so inside .bash_profile
And then you can slot in other paths as required.
One of the most basic computer functions — deleting files and folders — is also one of the most essential. If you never get rid of anything, soon enough all those extra gigabytes will take a toll on your Mac’s processing power, RAM, and hard drive, not to mention your digital life will resemble a dreadful episode of Hoarders.
So deleting files is good and healthy. But how do you do that? Most people right-click on what they need gone and choose Move to Trash from the menu or use the File option in the menu bar. Others employ the ⌘ + Delete shortcut, which works across the system (even within dialog windows). Experts, however, often find themselves defaulting to the command line delete directory feature. Let’s see how and why you should learn it too.
How to remove directory with Terminal
Since macOS is a Unix-based system, nearly all system tasks you do every day with the help of its graphic interface can also be performed via the command line tool called Terminal.
Why delete file command line feature is important
With regards to delete file or delete folder command line functionality, Terminal lets you:
- Effortlessly erase one or multiple files, folders, and apps, bypassing any error messages you can get when you go the traditional route.
- Remove files from Trash, including ones you can’t delete by simply emptying the trash.
- Get rid of files that are invisible to you within Finder (usually system or root files, for example, .htaccess).
- Delete files and folders in cases when Finder is unresponsive.
Note: The Mac command line delete file feature is final and irreversible. While it lets you avoid any error messages, it also removes the files completely, without any possibility of retrieving them later on.
Tip: Delete unneeded system files on Mac
Some files are hard to delete in a normal way because they sit deeply in system folders. These are such files as logs, broken downloads, caches, remains of old apps, etc. Still, deleting them could give your Mac an extra boost — that's because they are outdated and clutter your macOS.
To dig these files out, try a free version of CleanMyMac X. Among other things, this app has an impressive System Junk detector. When you download CleanMyMac X (this free version is notarized by Apple), you need to click on System Junk.
Just take a loot at the sheer amount of files it unearthed. To delete them, click on Clean.
Just take a loot at the sheer amount of files it unearthed. To delete them, click on Clean.
How to use delete file command line feature
Removing files from your Mac forever using Terminal is deceptively simple: just use the rm command followed by the name of the file. Here’s how it works in practice:
- Launch Terminal from your Utilities folder in Applications.
- Check which directory you’re in by typing ls -la
- Then navigate down a directory with cd [directoryname] or up a directory with cd ../
- When you’re in the same directory as the file you want to delete, type rm [filename.extension]
- If you want to delete multiple files at once, list them all, but make sure there’s a space between each one.
- Press Enter to execute the command.
Now all the files you specified after rm are gone for good. Navigate directories in your Mac and repeat the process as many times as you want.
Surprised there was no confirmation before your files were deleted? Luckily there’s a way to add one as a safeguard for not deleting the wrong file by accident. Just use -i after the rm but before the first filename, like this: rm -i [filename.extension]. Terminal will then ask you whether you’re sure you want to delete the file. Reply y or yes followed by Enter and the file will be gone. This also works for multiple files, but you’ll have to confirm the removal of each one separately.
How to make command line delete directory
Surprisingly, you can’t delete a folder using the rm command because it has its own: rmdir.
Otherwise, rmdir works exactly the same as rm:
- Navigate to the appropriate directory using Terminal.
- Type rmdir [directoryname]
- Hit Enter.
Sadly, you can’t use the -i hack when you’re deleting folders, so be extra careful!
Another thing to keep in mind is that rmdir only deletes the directory, but can’t delete any files or folders located within that directory.
To delete a folder with everything in it, you need to use rm -r followed by the folder’s name. Using -i to create a warning here is possible and done like this: rm -ir [foldername].
When it’s too difficult to find a folder or file via Terminal, but you can detect them in Finder, simply drag and drop the file onto the Terminal window to generate its path.
Change Directory In Mac
Delete large and old folders using CleanMyMac X
![Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal](/uploads/1/2/6/7/126728213/906917932.jpg)
Change Directory Download Folder Mac Terminal Linux
As it happens with folders, they are easy to mess up and lose track of. That's why many apps provide an alternative interface for searching and deleting files which is more flexible than the Finder. For example, using CleanMyMac X (the app we've mentioned above) you can find massive folders that might have been evading you. You also can filter them by file type and other criteria.
The latest released version of this tool looks like this:
The latest released version of this tool looks like this:
Change File Permissions Mac Terminal
This app by developer MacPaw is available for a free download here. Using this app, files are removed for good, and as far as we know, it's irreversible.
Other ways to delete files and folders on Mac
The shortcut combination
We are sure you know how to drag to your files to the Trash. But here is an alternative way which deletes files at once, bypassing the Trash. There’s one less step involved (you don’t have to empty the bin). And you cannot reverse this action.
Select a file, and press [Option + ⌘ + Delete]
Select a file, and press [Option + ⌘ + Delete]
Delete hidden folders on Mac
Some folders on your Mac are made invisible to protect them from accidental deletion. They are system and support files you would ignore most of the time. But what if a folder seems empty but still takes up space? You can apply another shortcut combination to highlight these unseen objects. Then, you can delete them at your own risk.
To highlight hidden folders: [Press Shift + ⌘ + . dot key]
This best works if you open some system folder, like Library
Some folders on your Mac are made invisible to protect them from accidental deletion. They are system and support files you would ignore most of the time. But what if a folder seems empty but still takes up space? You can apply another shortcut combination to highlight these unseen objects. Then, you can delete them at your own risk.
To highlight hidden folders: [Press Shift + ⌘ + . dot key]
This best works if you open some system folder, like Library
Again, delete these folders only if you are sure what they are.
Mac Terminal Commands Change Directory
That was how to remove files and folders on your Mac, shown in multiple ways. Want to know more? Explore our blog for a whole universe of Mac tips!