Below is a quick-reference guide in Markdown that shows some of the most common Linux commands alongside their Windows Command Prompt (CMD) and PowerShell equivalents. Where a direct equivalent doesn’t exist, workarounds or closely related commands are provided.

Common Command Equivalents

Linux Windows CMD PowerShell Description
ls dir ls or Get-ChildItem Lists directory contents.
pwd cd (no arguments) Get-Location (alias: pwd) Prints the current working directory.
cd cd cd or Set-Location Changes the current directory.
mkdir mkdir mkdir or New-Item -ItemType Directory Creates a new directory.
mv move Move-Item Moves or renames files or directories.
cp copy Copy-Item Copies files or directories.
rm del (files)
rmdir /s (directories)		 Remove-Item Deletes files or directories.
touch type nul > filename (creates empty file) New-Item -ItemType File filename Creates an empty file.
ln -s mklink New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink Creates a symbolic link. (For directories, use mklink /D in CMD.)
clear cls cls or Clear-Host Clears the terminal display.
cat type Get-Content Displays file contents.
echo echo echo or Write-Output Prints text to the terminal.
less more more or Out-Host -Paging Displays paged output.
man No direct equivalent
help <command> (for built-in commands)		 Get-Help <command> Accesses manual/help pages for commands.
uname systeminfo
or echo %OS%		 Get-ComputerInfo
or $PSVersionTable		 Displays basic system info.
whoami whoami whoami or $env:USERNAME Prints the current username.
tar tar (Windows 10+ supports tar natively)
or 7-Zip tools		 tar or Compress-Archive / Expand-Archive Compresses or extracts files.
grep findstr Select-String Searches for a string within file(s) or output.
head No direct equivalent
(use type file | more)		 Get-Content file -TotalCount <n> Returns the top N lines of a file.
tail No direct equivalent
(Resource Kit has tail)		 Get-Content file -Tail <n> Returns the last N lines of a file.

Notes and Tips

  1. PowerShell Aliases
    Many PowerShell commands have aliases to make them feel more familiar to users from different environments. For example:
    • ls is an alias for Get-ChildItem.
    • pwd is an alias for Get-Location.
    • cat is an alias for Get-Content.
  2. Symbolic Links on Windows
    • CMD’s mklink can create either file or directory symlinks; use /D for directory symlinks.
    • In PowerShell, New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink can also create symlinks, but it often requires an elevated (Administrator) console depending on system policy.
  3. Creating Empty Files
    • In CMD, type nul > filename is a quick hack.
    • In PowerShell, New-Item -ItemType File filename is more explicit.
  4. Help / Manual Pages
    • In CMD, help <command> works for built-in commands (dir, del, etc.). For external commands, you often need to consult separate documentation.
    • In PowerShell, Get-Help <command> is comprehensive. Use -Online or Update-Help to fetch the latest help.
  5. System Information
    • For detailed OS info in CMD, systeminfo is the go-to.
    • In PowerShell, Get-ComputerInfo provides extensive details, and $PSVersionTable tells you the version of PowerShell you’re running.