P2-7.6 Supplemental Learning: Opening Terminals by Operating System¶

Section ID: P2-7.6 Version: v2026.09.15

Use Get-Location in Windows PowerShell and pwd in macOS/Linux shells to check your current location. Opening the terminal and writing paths differ, but the tasks of checking the location, listing files, and changing folders are the same.

Terminals and Shells by Operating System¶

The first confusion in terminal usage is usually that the “terminal app” and the “shell running inside it” get mixed together.

Microsoft documentation explains Windows Terminal as a modern host application for running command-line shells such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL's bash. In other words, Windows Terminal does not mean a single shell. It is closer to an app where you can open multiple shells in tabs.

Apple's Terminal User Guide introduces Terminal on macOS as a tool for creating and managing shell scripts. When you open Terminal on macOS, you generally use a Unix-like shell.

Ubuntu documentation explains that Linux also has a GUI, but traditional Unix environments use a command-line interface, and in most Linux distributions, you can enter similar commands into the terminal.

Examples of terminal apps and shells are:

Opening PowerShell on Windows¶

The easiest ways to open a terminal on Windows are usually one of the following.

1. Search for Terminal or PowerShell in the Start menu.
2. If you are using VS Code, choose Terminal > New Terminal from the top menu.
3. You can use a terminal-opening feature from the right-click menu in the project folder. This menu name can differ depending on the Windows version and installed tools.

After opening the terminal, first check the current location.

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Get-Location

Check the file and folder list.

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Get-ChildItem

Move to a folder.

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Set-Location C:\Users\someone\ws\project-name

Short aliases are also often used in PowerShell.

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pwd
ls
cd C:\Users\someone\ws\project-name

But when you first study this, it is better to also know the official command names. Later, when you look up documentation, searching for Get-Location, Get-ChildItem, and Set-Location makes it easier to find more accurate material.

Opening Terminal on macOS¶

On macOS, you can use the default app Terminal.

There are several ways to open Terminal.

1. Type Terminal in Spotlight search.
2. In Finder, open Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
3. If you are using VS Code, choose Terminal > New Terminal.

After opening the terminal, check the current location.

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pwd

Check the file and folder list.

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ls

Move to the project folder.

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cd /Users/someone/ws/project-name

On macOS, paths often appear in the form /Users/.... This differs from the Windows form C:\Users\..., so if you copy an example from another operating system as-is, the path may not match.

When pasting terminal commands on macOS, be especially careful with commands that begin with sudo. sudo can make a command run with administrator privileges. In the early practice of this part, sudo is usually not needed.

Opening a Terminal on Linux¶

In Linux distributions, terminal usage appears often in learning materials. Ubuntu documentation introduces ways to open the terminal such as search and shortcuts like Ctrl + Alt + T. The menu name can differ by desktop environment, but in many Linux environments, you can open the terminal app by searching for it.

After opening a terminal on Linux, first check the current location.

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pwd

Check the file and folder list.

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ls

Move to the project folder.

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cd /home/someone/ws/project-name

On Linux, the user's home folder is often in the form /home/username. This differs from macOS /Users/username.

In Linux materials, you also often see commands like sudo apt install .... Those commands can install system packages. In this Python-introduction section, do not run them blindly. First check why the command is needed.

Terminal Shortcuts¶

Terminals can assign different shortcuts to copying and interrupting execution.

This table does not mean “it is always exactly the same in every environment.” It can differ depending on the terminal app, shell, keyboard layout, and whether you are in a terminal inside an editor such as VS Code. If the actual shortcuts differ, check the app menu or settings.

What is especially useful here is Tab. Instead of typing a folder name to the end, you can type only the beginning and then press Tab to complete a possible file or folder name.

For example, if you want to move into the docs folder, you can type the following and then press Tab.

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cd do

If the terminal can find docs, it completes it automatically. If there are multiple candidates, it may not complete at once. Then you enter a little more, or in some terminals, press Tab twice to see the available candidates.

Ctrl + C can request an interrupt from a running program. To copy text, use the copy shortcut in the table. Behavior may depend on app settings and whether text is selected; if it differs from expectations, check the menu shortcut.

Checking Location After Changing Folders¶

After moving into the practice folder, check the location and file list again to catch path mistakes.

From the perspective of Windows PowerShell, the flow looks like this.

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Get-Location
Get-ChildItem
Set-Location C:\Users\someone\ws\project-name
Get-Location
Get-ChildItem

From the perspective of macOS/Linux, the flow looks like this.

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pwd
ls
cd /Users/someone/ws/project-name
pwd
ls

On Linux, the movement path can look like the following.

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cd /home/someone/ws/project-name

Path Notation by Operating System¶

Windows and macOS/Linux write paths differently.

If you see a path such as /Users/someone/ws/project-name in a document, it is likely a macOS example. On Linux, it may be closer to /home/someone/ws/project-name, and on Windows, it may be closer to C:\Users\someone\ws\project-name.

Therefore, when copying path examples, you need to change them to the actual folder location on your computer.

Checking Python Commands¶

Before running Python in a terminal, check the following.

• Is the terminal currently opened with the project folder as the base?
• Is the .py file you want to run in the current folder?
• Are the required data files in the same folder or in the specified path?
• If you need to use a virtual environment, is the current virtual environment activated?
• Among python, python3, and py, which command works in my environment?

Depending on the operating system and the installation method, the Python execution command can differ.

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python --version

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python3 --version

On Windows, if Python Launcher is installed, you may also see the following command.

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py --version

Use the printed version to determine which command runs Python. If installation is needed, see Installing Python.

Prompts and Actual Commands¶

It is common to copy and paste commands from documentation. That is not itself a bad habit. Ubuntu documentation also explains that even experienced users often copy and paste commands.

However, you should read a copied command before running it.

First, check the following.

• Which folder is the command assuming?
• Is it a command for Windows, or for macOS/Linux?
• Is it just checking something, or is it a command that changes the system?
• Does it include parts such as sudo, package installation, deletion, or moving paths?
• Does it include prompt symbols such as $, >, or PS> at the front?

In documentation, a terminal prompt may appear like the following in order to explain the prompt itself.

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$ python example.py

At that point, $ may not be a character you are supposed to type. It is usually expressing the prompt symbol. What you actually type is the following part.

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python example.py

In PowerShell documentation, it may appear like this.

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PS C:\Users\someone> python example.py

Here too, you do not type the whole PS C:\Users\someone>. The actual command is python example.py.

Checks by Error Type¶

Identify what the error message refers to.

Project Paths Containing Spaces¶

If the project folder is named ai practice, pass the space as part of one path. Substitute your actual username and folder location, and quote the entire path.

Windows PowerShell:

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Set-Location "C:\Users\someone\ws\ai practice"
Get-Location

macOS:

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cd "/Users/someone/ws/ai practice"
pwd

Linux:

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cd "/home/someone/ws/ai practice"
pwd

Check that each result is the project location ending in ai practice. Without quotes, a shell may split a path containing spaces into multiple arguments and fail to change folders. Even when commands share a purpose, the actual path and argument boundaries must match.

Calling a Quoted Executable Path¶

Distinguish quoting a directory argument from invoking an executable. In PowerShell, put the call operator & before a quoted Python executable path containing spaces. Replace the example paths below with the actual location of an existing virtual environment.

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& "C:\Users\someone\ws\ai practice\.venv\Scripts\python.exe" --version

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"/home/someone/ws/ai practice/.venv/bin/python" --version

Both commands print the version of the specified executable. The Bash example uses a Linux path; on macOS, use the actual /Users/... path. PowerShell treats a quoted string alone as a string value, so its invocation syntax is not interchangeable with Bash.

Checklist¶

• Can you explain that Windows Terminal is a host app that can run multiple command-line shells?
• Can you check your location and move around in macOS Terminal with pwd, ls, and cd?
• Can you open a terminal on Linux and check the current location and the file list?
• Can you explain the purpose of Get-Location, Get-ChildItem, and Set-Location in Windows PowerShell?
• Can you explain the path-notation difference between Windows and macOS/Linux?
• Can you explain that terminal shortcuts can differ by environment, and that you should first check Tab, Ctrl + C, and copy-paste behavior?
• Can you explain that Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V in general apps can differ from terminal copy, paste, and interrupt shortcuts?
• Can you distinguish prompt symbols from the actual command to type in a copied command?
• Can you explain that commands such as sudo, rm, del, and Remove-Item should not be run before their meaning is understood?
• Can you explain the order open the terminal -> check the current location -> check the file list -> move to the practice folder -> check the location and file list again -> run the Python command?

Sources and References¶

• Microsoft, What is Windows Terminal?, Microsoft Learn, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm that Windows Terminal is a host app for command-line shells such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL bash.
• Apple, Keyboard shortcuts in Terminal on Mac, Apple Support, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm macOS Terminal shortcuts for windows/tabs, copy and paste, Tab, and Ctrl-C-type behavior.
• Apple, Terminal User Guide, Apple Support, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm the role of macOS Terminal and its guidance for executing commands and specifying files and folders.
• Ubuntu Documentation, UsingTheTerminal, Ubuntu Community Help Wiki, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm the introductory context for opening a terminal and performing command-line work on Ubuntu/Linux.
• Microsoft, Get-Location, PowerShell documentation, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm the PowerShell command for checking the current working location and its pwd alias.
• Microsoft, Set-Location, PowerShell documentation, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm the PowerShell command for changing the current working location and its cd alias.

• Microsoft, Get-ChildItem, PowerShell documentation, checked 2026-07-20. Used to confirm the PowerShell command for listing files and folders and its ls alias.

• PowerShell call operator &, Accessed: 2026-09-15.