I’ll be honest — before I switched to macOS, I didn’t even know what a terminal was. I was a full-time Windows user, and every time I accidentally opened that black screen with the blinking cursor, I’d close it immediately. “What is this thing?” I’d think, genuinely scared of breaking something.
Then I got my first Mac.
At first, nothing changed. I was still a point-and-click guy, navigating Finder like I used to navigate Explorer. But then I started managing my own server through SSH — and that’s when everything shifted. Suddenly, I was connected to a remote machine thousands of miles away, running commands, deploying code, managing files — all from that “scary black screen.”
Fast forward to today, and I genuinely say this: a computer without a terminal? That’s not a real computer.
Terminal didn’t just change how I use my Mac. It changed how I think about computers. What used to take 15 clicks now takes one line. What used to require downloading a sketchy app now requires a single command. It made everything faster, cleaner, and honestly — more fun.
Here are the 10 terminal commands (and tools) that completely transformed my daily workflow.
1. Homebrew — The App Store That Actually Works
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
This is the first thing I install on every Mac. Homebrew is a package manager, and once you have it, installing software becomes laughably easy:
brew install node # Need Node.js? Done.
brew install python # Python? One line.
brew install ffmpeg # Video processing? Say no more.
brew update && brew upgrade # Update everything at once.
No more going to a website, downloading a .dmg, dragging it to Applications, and praying it doesn’t come with malware. Just brew install and you’re done. Want to uninstall? brew uninstall. Want to see what you have? brew list. It’s beautiful.
Honestly, after using Homebrew, the traditional way of installing apps feels primitive.
2. SSH — The Command That Made Me Fall in Love
ssh user@your-server-ip
This is where my terminal journey truly began. The moment I typed ssh and landed inside my remote server’s shell, something clicked. I was inside another computer, managing files, restarting services, checking logs — all from my couch.
For anyone running a website, a VPS, or any kind of server — SSH is non-negotiable. Pair it with SSH keys for passwordless login:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
ssh-copy-id user@your-server-ip
Now you connect instantly, no password needed. It feels like teleportation.
3. caffeinate — Keep Your Mac Awake
caffeinate -t 3600
Running a long build? Downloading a massive file? Don’t want your Mac to sleep and kill the process? caffeinate keeps your Mac awake for a specified number of seconds (3600 = 1 hour). No third-party app needed. It’s built right into macOS.
I use this constantly during long compilations and deployments. Simple, effective, legendary.
4. pbcopy & pbpaste — Your Clipboard’s Best Friends
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy
This copies the contents of your SSH public key directly to your clipboard. No need to open the file, select all, and copy. Just pipe it to pbcopy.
Need to save what’s in your clipboard to a file?
pbpaste > output.txt
These two commands save me more time than I’d like to admit. They bridge the gap between the terminal world and the GUI world seamlessly.
5. defaults write — Unlock Hidden macOS Settings
# Speed up Dock animations
defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0
defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -float 0.3
killall Dock
# Save screenshots as JPG instead of PNG
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
# Show hidden files in Finder
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true
killall Finder
macOS has hundreds of hidden settings that Apple doesn’t expose in System Settings. The defaults write command lets you tweak them. I’ve customized my Dock speed, screenshot format, Finder behavior, and more — all through terminal.
It’s like finding a secret menu at your favorite restaurant.
6. networkQuality — Built-in Speed Test
bashnetworkQuality
That’s it. One word. macOS has a built-in internet speed test since Monterey, and nobody talks about it. It tests both upload and download simultaneously and gives you a responsiveness score.
No need to open a browser, go to speedtest.net, and deal with ads. Just type it and get your results in seconds.
7. sips — Batch Image Processing Without Photoshop
# Resize an image to 1200px wide
sips -Z 1200 image.png
# Convert PNG to JPEG
sips -s format jpeg image.png --out image.jpg
# Resize all images in a folder
sips -Z 800 *.png
As a developer who works with blog thumbnails and app screenshots constantly, sips is a lifesaver. It’s Apple’s built-in image processing tool, and it handles resizing, format conversion, and basic edits without any extra software.
I used to open Photoshop for simple resizes. Now I never do.
8. say — Make Your Mac Talk
say "Build complete, sir"
This might sound silly, but hear me out. When I’m running a long build or deployment, I put this at the end of my command chain:
npm run build && say "Build succeeded" || say "Build failed"
I can walk away, make coffee, and my Mac literally tells me when it’s done. It’s not just fun — it’s genuinely productive.
9. mdfind — Spotlight on Steroids
# Find all PDFs modified in the last 7 days
mdfind -onlyin ~/Documents "kMDItemContentType == 'com.adobe.pdf'" -literal
# Find files by name (faster than find)
mdfind -name "project-notes"
# Find all images larger than 5MB
mdfind "kMDItemFSSize > 5000000 && kMDItemContentTypeTree == 'public.image'"
Spotlight is great for quick searches, but mdfind gives you the full power of Spotlight’s index through the terminal. It’s incredibly fast because it uses the same index Spotlight builds — no need to crawl the filesystem.
10. open — Bridge Between Terminal and GUI
# Open current directory in Finder
open .
# Open a URL in your default browser
open https://getneotiler.com
# Open a file with a specific app
open -a "Visual Studio Code" project/
# Open a file with its default app
open report.pdf
This is the command I probably use the most. It bridges the terminal and the graphical world perfectly. Working in a project folder and need to see it in Finder? open . — two words, instant result.
The Bigger Picture
Looking back at my journey from “what is that black screen?” to “a computer without a terminal isn’t a real computer” — I realize the terminal didn’t just teach me commands. It taught me a different way of thinking about technology.
When you use a GUI, you’re limited to what someone designed for you. When you use the terminal, you’re limited only by what you can imagine. You can chain commands together, automate repetitive tasks, and build workflows that are uniquely yours.
If you’re a Mac user who has never opened Terminal, I get it — I was you. But trust me on this: open it, type one command, and see what happens. You might just fall in love with computing all over again.
What’s your favorite terminal command? Drop it in the comments — I’m always looking for new ones to add to my workflow.
Veysel Okatan