This article lists out different macOS terminal commands you might encounter. You can use this list as a starting point in your search for a command to perform a specific task. This list is by no means exhaustive.
Many of the commands have also been used in the article I wrote some time back. You can have a look at the scripts to see some of the commands being used.
To get more information about the commands simply run the following command from within Terminal Application. For example, to view the manual page for tmutil simply type:
man tmutil
For fdesetup
man fdesetup
Here is a nice command to quickly open the man page in the Preview App.
man -t tmutil | open -f -a /System/Applications/Preview.app
Note
This is not a complete list of commands
Some commands are available through the macOS Recovery Volume only
Some commands required other resources such as the OS installer
Some commands are available with certain versions of the OS only
Please read the documentation for more details. Use the commands with care. Improper use of commands may result in loss of data or damage to the computer.
Commands
Installation
Command
Description
startosinstall
Used to start the installation of macOS from the command line.
createinstallmedia
Used to create an external install disk.
Security
Command
Description
fdesetup
Manage FileVault configuration.
security
Manage keychain and security settings
spctl
Manage security assessment policy
csrutil
Configure System Integrity Protection (SIP) settings
resetpassword
Password reset utility located in the Recovery Partition
File System
Command
Description
hdiutil
Used to manipulate and manage disk images.
diskutil
Used to modify, verify, & repair local disks.
Data Management
Command
Description
tmutil
Used to configure Time Machine settings in macOS
screencapture
Takes screenshot of the specified screen and saves the image at the specified location.
mdls
Used to get metadata attributes for a given file
mdutil
Used to manage metadata stores that are used by Spotlight
Settings
Command
Description
defaults
Used to modify plist files. Typically used to update preference files.
ioreg
Used to view the I/O kit registry
system_profiler
Used to generate system hardware & software reports.
plutil
Used to check syntax of property lists or covert property lists from one format to another
AssetCacheManagerUtil
Used to configure content caching settings.
open
Used to open documents from within the command line.
networksetup
Perform network configuration.
systemsetup
Used to configure machine settings in System Preferences.
launchctl
Used to manage and inspect daemons, agents, & XPC Services
Applications
Command
Description
codesign
Used to create, check, display code signatures.
pkgbuild
Used to build installer packages
productbuild
Builds a product archive
installer
System software and package installer tool
User Account Management
Command
Description
dscl
This is a command line Directory service utility that allows us to create, read, and manage Directory Service data.
sysadminctl
User account management
passwd
Change user password
login
Used to login to another user account.
Server & Device Management
Command
Description
profiles
Used to install, remove, list, or manage Configuration profiles.
serveradmin
Used to manage the services in macOS
mdmclient
Located in /usr/libexec/mdmclient it is used to manage interactions with the MDM.
asr
Apple Software restore: Used to copy volumes.
Scripting
Command
Description
osascript
Used to execute the given AppleScript
Share any commands you may know of in the comments window.
Disclaimer
The information Is Provided “As Is”, Without Warranty Of Any Kind, Express Or Implied, Including But Not Limited To The Warranties Of Merchantability, Fitness For A Particular Purpose And Noninfringement. In No Event Shall The Authors Or Copyright Holders Be Liable For Any Claim, Damages Or Other Liability, Whether In An Action Of Contract, Tort Or Otherwise, Arising From, Out Of Or In Connection With The information provided Or The Use Or Other Dealings In The information.
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