Cygwin Command Cheat Sheet

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: July 12, 2021

The Cygwin Console is a popular command-prompt tool for Windows (also called Cygwin Bash Shell) that mimics a Linux environment to execute your commands. This wikiHow will give you a list of commands you can use in Cygwin. When you initially launch the console, you are automatically sent to your Cygwin home directory, which generally looks like your Windows username. Since Cygwin uses a Linux approach, the Windows backslash(\) becomes the forward-slash(/) instead.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Cutting and Pasting Content from Windows to Cygwin

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This can be any application or text from a web page.
You can also go to Edit > Copy once you've highlighted what you want to copy.

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The keyboard shortcut Alt + Tab will allow you to change active windows while right-clicking prompts a menu to pop up.
The content you previously copied will paste into the window.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Working with Files

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cp <filename> <new filename>. This will create a copy of a file.
cp -R <directory> <new directory>. This code creates a copy of a directory.
mv <filename> <new filename>. This moves or renames a file.
rm <filename>. This deletes a file.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Working with Directories

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cd <directory>. Will change the directory you're currently in.
ls. This lists the files in the current directory.
ls -l. Lists all the files in the current directory as well as their attributes.
mkdir <new directory name>. This creates a new directory.
pwd. This tells you what directory you're in.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Archiving or Extracting Files and Directories

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1
tar -zcvf <filename> <directory> # create gzipped tar archive of <directory>. Pick one of z,c,v,f to execute a command.
- -z - filter the archive through gzip
- -c - create a new archive
- -v - verbosely list files processed
- -f - use archive file
2
tar -xvzf <filename> # extract tarred, gzipped <filename> in current directory. Pick one of x,v,z,f to execute a command.
- -x - extract files from an archive
- -v - verbosely list files processed
- -z - filter the archive through gzip
- -f - use archive file

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Working with File Permissions

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1
chmod u+x <filename>. Pick one of u+x to execute a command.
- -u user
- -+ adds permissions
- -x executable rights

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Tips

If you need more information about a specific command, like "mv," use the "info" or "man" command. For example, you'd enter: $man mv or $info mv. To exit man or info, type q.^{[1]
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