PowerShell
Best beginner shell on Windows. Strong scripting and object-oriented command output.
The terminal is where you learn to control your machine instead of guessing at it.
The terminal helps you move through folders, run tools, inspect your environment, create files, automate repetitive work, and start coding with confidence. This page starts from Windows PowerShell, then maps the same thinking to Linux, macOS, and Termux.
PowerShell vs bash/zsh vs cmd
bash / zsh
Common on Linux and macOS. Most internet shell examples assume this style.
cmd / .bat
Older Windows shell and batch scripting. Still useful to recognize, but not the best first choice.
Activity 1: Make your first working folder
Windows PowerShell
mkdir intro-lab cd intro-lab "hello from powershell" | Set-Content hello.txt Get-ChildItem Get-Content hello.txt
Linux / macOS / Termux
mkdir intro-lab cd intro-lab echo "hello from shell" > hello.txt ls cat hello.txt
Same goal, different shell spelling
List files
PowerShell: Get-ChildItem bash/zsh: ls
Current folder
PowerShell: Get-Location bash/zsh: pwd
Read a file
PowerShell: Get-Content file.txt bash/zsh: cat file.txt
Create a file
PowerShell: "text" | Set-Content a.txt bash/zsh: echo "text" > a.txt
Delete a file
PowerShell: Remove-Item a.txt bash/zsh: rm a.txt
Move a file
PowerShell: Move-Item a.txt notes\ bash/zsh: mv a.txt notes/
Useful checks
python --version git --version node --version
These commands tell you whether important tools are installed and reachable from your shell.
To inspect the current path:
PowerShell: $env:Path bash/zsh: echo $PATH
Small automation examples
Windows batch file example hello.bat:
@echo off echo Hello from batch file pause
PowerShell script example hello.ps1:
Write-Host "Hello from PowerShell script"
bash script example hello.sh:
echo "Hello from bash script"
How tools get installed
Windows often uses installers,
winget, or package managers.Linux often uses
apt, dnf, pacman, or similar.macOS often uses graphical installers or
brew.Termux uses package commands inside Android's Linux-like environment.
Activity 2: Create a project folder for coding
mkdir my-first-code cd my-first-code mkdir notes src "# My First Code Folder" | Set-Content README.md
bash/zsh version:
mkdir my-first-code cd my-first-code mkdir notes src echo "# My First Code Folder" > README.md
Then open the folder in your editor. This is where terminal, files, editor, and Git begin to work together.