In Windows, you can use the Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell consoles for greater control and faster management of the operating system. Both CLIs (command-line interpreters) also help you troubleshoot serious issues with your PC.

The same goes for the Mac’s Terminal, but its UNIX-based nature requires that you enter a different set of commands.

A Mac Command Prompt - 1

If you recently switched to using a Mac, you’ll learn the Terminal equivalents to 15 helpful Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell commands below.

1. View System Information

Suppose you want to identify the various hardware and software components (processor, RAM, operating system version, etc.) on your computer. In that case, you can view the information in Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell with the systeminfo command.

system_profiler

You can also prompt Terminal to filter the information by data type. For example, you can get an overview of Mac’s hardware only by appending SPHardwareDataType to the end of the command—e.g. system_profiler SPHardwareDataType .

Terminal with SPHardwareDataType command - 2

For a list of data types, run the system_profiler -listDataTypes command.

To view the information via the GUI (graphical user interface) on your Mac, hold down the Option key and go to Apple menu > System Information .

2. Ping Devices and Networks

You can diagnose connectivity problems with websites and local devices by running the ping command via Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. That prompts your PC to transmit and receive data packets, and you get to spot irregularities in response times and packet loss.

The ping command is universal to most CLIs, but Terminal does not set a ping count unless you execute it with the -c parameter as follows:

ping -c

Terminal with command: ping -c <count> <host> - 3

3. Check Network Configurations

On the PC, running ipconfig via Command Prompt loads the Internet Protocol Configuration utility. It allows you to identify TCP/IP network configurations along with information about IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and so on.

The Terminal equivalent opens Interface Configuration and uses the following command:

ifconfig

Terminal with command: ifconfig - 4

By default, ifconfig displays active networks only. To make it show all interfaces, run ifconfig -a instead.

4. Flush DNS Cache

An outdated Domain Name System (DNS) cache on your computer causes connectivity issues with websites. In Windows, running the ipconfig /flushdns command via an elevated Command Prompt console helps you clear your computer’s local DNS cache.

The Terminal equivalent to clearing the DNS cache on Mac is as follows:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Terminal with command: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder - 5

You must enter an administrator password to authorize the command.

5. View All Running Processes

Compared to the Windows Task Manager, typing tasklist into Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell allows for a clearer view of your PC’s background processes. It also contains information such as process IDs (PIDs) and memory usage stats for each task.

On the Mac, you can run one of the two commands below:

  • top
  • ps -ax
Terminal window with top and ps -ax commands - 6

The top command displays a list of the most resource-intensive processes in real-time, while ps -ax shows you the complete task list on your Mac.

6. End Process

You can also use Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell to end running processes with the taskkill command.

The Mac’s Terminal equivalent is:

kill

Additionally, you can use the killall command to end all Mac processes containing a particular name—e.g. Garageband . Here’s the complete guide to shutting down Mac processes using Terminal .

7. Check Network Statistics

The netstat command in Windows lets you view a list of all active TCP connections and helps identify network-related problems.

On the Mac, running the same command yields similar results:

netstat

Terminal window - 7

To view a list of flags and options specific to Terminal, type man netstat .

8. Repair Disk Errors

The Check Disk command-line utility on Windows, which you can invoke by running chkdsk in Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell, allows you to check for and repair disk-related errors.

The Terminal equivalent in macOS is the fsck (file system consistency check) command. Start by booting up your Mac in single-user mode—press Command + S at startup. Then, run the following:

/sbin/fsck -fy

Symbolic links (symlinks) are crucial if you find it impossible to change locations that apps and programs use to store files.

For example, you can use a symlink to sync any folder to a cloud storage service by making it appear as if it’s inside the default sync directory. On Windows, you use the mklink /J command.

On macOS, the Terminal equivalent is:

In -s

Terminal window - 8

10. Schedule Shut Down

If you want to shut down your PC after a specific amount of time has elapsed, you use the shutdown -f -t

sudo shutdown -h +

sudo shutdown -h command in Terminal - 9

You can always use the sudo killall shutdown command to cancel a scheduled shutdown.

11. Compare File Differences

On Windows, you can compare the difference between two files using the fc command.

The Mac’s Terminal equivalent is:

diff

The diff command comes with multiple options. For example, you can use the -i switch to make it ignore case differences in text files. Run man diff to view a complete list of options.

12. Find Wi-Fi Password

Whenever you need to identify the password of a Wi-Fi connection quickly, you can use the netsh wlan show profile key=clear on your PC.

On the Mac, you must run the following command in Terminal:

security find-generic-password -ga “” | grep “password:”

security find-generic-password -ga command in Terminal - 10

13. Update Mac

In Windows, you can install operating system updates via Windows PowerShell with the Get-WindowsUpdate and Install-WindowsUpdate commands. It’s faster and less sluggish compared to using the GUI.

The Terminal equivalents to update macOS are:

  • softwareupdate -l to scan for and view pending updates and identifiers.
  • softwareupdate -i to install an update.
softwareupdate command in Terminal - 11

14. Renew IP Lease

Releasing and renewing the IP (Internet Protocol) lease can fix connectivity-related issues on your computer. That involves running the ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew commands via Command Prompt in Windows.

The Mac provides a GUI option via System Preferences > Network > Wi-Fi / Ethernet > Advanced > DHCP > Renew DHCP . However, you can also use the following Terminal command:

sudo ipconfig set DHCP

sudo ipconfig set <network interface> DHCP command in Terminal - 12

If you don’t know the network interface name, use the ifconfig command to identify it—e.g. en0 .

15. Check Uptime

You can check your PC’s uptime with the (get-date) – (gcim Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime Windows PowerShell command.

uptime

uptime command in Terminal - 13

The uptime command helps you determine if it’s time to shut down or restart your Mac. That often helps resolve random technical glitches preventing macOS from working correctly.

Switching to Terminal

The Mac’s Terminal allows you to perform most tasks that you’ve gotten accustomed to with Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell on the PC. While the command equivalents above aren’t exhaustive, they should be handy always.

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