Zsh Cheat Sheet [Free PDF Download]

Zsh is a powerful command-line shell for operating systems based on Unix that is renowned for its customization options and wide range of features. This cheat sheet is a must-read if you’re new to Zsh or want to brush up on your knowledge. To help you work in the terminal more effectively and efficiently, I’ll go over some of the most useful Zsh commands and shortcuts in this article.

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What is Zsh?

Zsh, which stands for Z Shell, is a command-line shell for Unix-like operating systems. It is an enhanced version of the Bourne shell (sh) with new features and improvements. Zsh provides enhanced customization, enhanced command-line editing capabilities, and advanced scripting features.

Furthermore, Zsh provides an interactive and user-friendly experience, allowing users to efficiently navigate and edit commands with features such as history search and customizable key bindings. Its extensive customization options allow users to personalize their shell environment for a tailored workflow, including prompt styles, aliases, and configuration settings.

So, it is clear that Zsh is a popular choice for automation and complex scripting tasks due to its advanced scripting capabilities, which support programming constructs and functions.

Why Use Zsh Instead of Bash?

There are several reasons why someone might prefer Zsh over Bash. To begin with, Zsh has additional features and improvements than Bash, such as advanced autocompletion, improved command-line editing capabilities, and more powerful scripting options. These enhancements have the potential to increase productivity and streamline workflow.

Secondly, it offers more customization options than Bash, allowing users to personalize their shell environment to a greater extent. Thirdly, Zsh’s autocompletion mechanism is extremely sophisticated, suggesting completions not only for commands and filenames, but also for options, variables, and other variables. Furthermore, Zsh was created with modern features and extensibility in mind, making it adaptable to changing needs.

Zsh Commands List

Zsh is a powerful shell with a plethora of commands and features. To help you navigate the world of Zsh more easily, I’ve categorized some of the most useful commands by their function in this section.

Installing Zsh Commands

In this section, you can find commands to install Zsh on different Linux distributions.

Commands	Description
sudo dnf install zsh	Installs Zsh with user’s package manager on Fedora, CentOs and RHEL
sudo apt install zsh	Installs Zsh with user’s package manager on Debian and Ubuntu
sudo port install zsh	Installs Zsh with user’s package manager on MacOS and user can install it using MacPorts
brew install zsh	Installs Zsh with user’s package manager on MacOS and user can install it using Homebrew

Navigation Commands

Here, I have listed some of the most useful navigation commands. Using these commands, you will be able to navigate through the directories and files.

Commands	Description
cd	Changes the current directory
cd ..	Moves up one level in the directory hierarchy
cd /	Changes the current directory to the root directory
cd ~	Changes the current directory to your home directory
cd -P	Changes the current directory and resolves symbolic links
cd -L	Changes the current directory without resolving symbolic links
cd /path/to/directory	Changes the current directory to the specified directory path
code .	Opens the current directory in Visual Studio Code
dirs	Displays or manipulates the directory stack
explorer .	Opens the current directory in the default file explorer (on Windows)
ls	Lists files and directories in the current directory
open .	Opens the current directory in the default file explorer (on macOS)
pushd	Changes the current directory and pushes the current directory onto the directory stack
popd	Removes entries from the directory stack and changes the current directory to the popped directory
pwd	Shows the current working directory

Control Flow and Script Execution Commands

Whether you’re writing a complex script or just trying to automate a simple task, knowing control flow and script execution is essential. In this section, I’ll go over some of the most important commands in Zsh for controlling flow and script execution.

Commands	Description
break	Exits from a loop or switch statement
bye	Exits the shell
continue	Skips the remaining iterations of a loop and starts the next iteration
return	Exits a function with an optional return value
exit	Exits the shell with an optional exit status
fc	Manages and edits command history
shift	Shifts positional parameters to the left by a specified number
test	Evaluates conditional expressions and performs tests
trap	Sets or displays actions to be taken when a signal is received

Process Control Commands

In a terminal environment, you frequently need to manage multiple jobs and processes at the same time. Within the shell, you can use the following commands to create, manage, and control jobs and processes. You can pause a job, bring it to the foreground, or send it to the background.

Commands	Description
bg [job …]	Resumes suspended jobs in the background
disown [job …]	Removes jobs from the job table, allowing them to continue running
fg [job …]	Brings jobs to the foreground
jobs	Lists active jobs and their statuses
kill [options] job …	Sends signals to processes or job IDs
suspend [-f]	Suspends the current shell session
wait [job …]	Waits for background jobs to complete

Variable and Environment Management Commands

In this section, I’ll cover some of Zsh’s most crucial commands for managing variables and the environment, which you can use to define variables, modify the environment, and manage how your scripts and commands communicate with the shell and other programs.

Commands	Description
declare	Displays or sets shell variables
export	Sets environment variables
readonly	Marks variables as read-only
typeset	Declares variables with specific attributes
unset	Unsets variables or functions
unsetopt	Disables shell options

Conditional Execution and Scripting Commands

Understanding conditional execution in the world of zsh scripting is essential for managing the flow of your script. You will learn how to use these strong commands in this section, giving you the knowledge necessary to create scripts that are effective and adaptable.

Commands	Description
if	Executes a block of code based on a condition, If the condition is true, the code within the “if” block is executed; otherwise, it is skipped
then	Specifies the start of the code block to be executed if the condition of an “if” statement is true
else	Specifies the code block to be executed if the condition of the preceding “if” statement is false
fi	Marks the end of an “if” statement
do	Specifies the start of the code block to be executed in a “for” or “while” loop
done	Marks the end of a “for” or “while” loop
for	Executes a block of code repeatedly for a specified number of iterations or for each item in a list
until	Executes a block of code repeatedly until a certain condition is true
while	Executes a block of code repeatedly as long as a certain condition is true

Command Execution and Environment

Here you’ll find commands to create scripts that loop through data, make decisions based on conditions, and execute commands based on those decisions.Understanding these commands is essential for effective scripting with Zsh, whether you’re writing a simple script or a complex automation tool.

Commands	Description
noglob	Executes a command without performing globbing on arguments
rehash	Updates the internal hash table of executable commands
source	Executes commands from a file in the current shell session
time	Displays the system and user times for the current shell session

Command Information and Location

You’ll probably need to find information about the commands you’re using as you work with Zsh, such as their location and how they’re being executed. You can use the commands below to find the location of executables, observe how commands are executed, and manage the command hash table.

Commands	Description
unhash	Removes commands from the internal hash table
where	Displays all locations where a command is defined
which	Displays the path to the executable file of a command
whence	Displays information about a command, including its type and location

History and Command Editing

Frequently, you must recall and modify previously executed commands. Here, I’ll cover history and command editing commands, which allow you to edit and re-execute previous commands as well as parse command line arguments, making it easier to create complex scripts and automation tools.

Commands	Description
fc	Views, edits, re-executes, or changes the order of previously entered commands
getln	Displays the command history, showing a list of previously executed commands along with their line numbers
getopts optstring	Allows to process command-line arguments and options, and enables to create more interactive and flexible shell scripts
history	Displays the command history, showing a list of previously executed commands along with their line numbers

Input/Output Commands

In this section, I am going to cover those commands that you will need to read input from the user and customize the behavior of your shell.

Commands	Description
echo	Displays a line of text or the value of a variable on the terminal
print	Displays text or variables on the terminal, and various formatting options and can be used to control the output appearance
read	Reads input from the user or from a file and assigns it to variables and allows user to prompt for input, store the entered values, and perform further processing based on the input
ttyctl -fu	Controls terminal settings and behavior, and -fu options force a flush of the terminal output buffer, ensuring that all pending output is displayed immediately

Logging and Shell Exit Commands

Keeping track of your terminal activity is an essential part of command-line work. You’ll learn commands in this section that will allow you to log your terminal activity to a file, exit your shell session, and temporarily pause the execution of your current process.

Commands	Description
log	Records shell input/output to a file
logout	Exits the current shell session with an optional exit status

Shell Built-in Commands

In this section, I’ve listed commands that are essential to the functionality of the shell and are also known as shell-built in commands. You can define and manage aliases for frequently used commands, customize shell behavior, manipulate variables and functions, enable and disable shell options, and much more with these commands.

Commands	Description
alias	Defines or lists aliases for commands
unalias	Removes aliases for commands
builtin	Executes a built-in shell command
disable	Disables shell built-in commands or functions.
enable	Enables shell built-in commands or functions
false	Returns a non-zero exit status
functions	Lists or defines functions
unfunction	Removes defined shell functions
hash	Displays or modifies command hash table
set	Sets or displays shell options or positional parameters
setopt	Sets or displays shell options
true	Returns a zero exit status
type	Displays information about a command
typeset	Declares or displays shell variables with additional attributes
unset	Unsets shell variables or functions
unsetopt	Unsets shell options

File and Directory Management Commands

Zsh provides a set of powerful commands that allow you to easily create, manipulate, and remove files and directories; a list of some of these commands is below.

Commands	Description
cp	Creates copies of files and directories
file	Displays information about the specified file(s)
mkdir	Creates a new directory
mkcd	Creates a new directory and changes the current directory to it in a single command
mv	Moves or renames files and directories
rm	Removes a file
rm -r	Removes a directory and its contents recursively
touch	Creates an empty file or updates the access and modification timestamps of an existing file
zmv	Allows users to rename multiple files using complex patterns and expressions.
zmvn	Allows users to files rename using natural sorting order, which handles numerical sequences in a more human-friendly way

Loading and Unloading Modules Commands

Zsh is a highly customizable shell that allows you to load and unload modules, allowing you to extend its functionality and tailor it to your specific needs. In this section, I’ll look at module loading and unloading in Zsh, as well as various commands and options.

Commands	Description
zmodload -dL	Loads one or more shared modules into the Zsh shell
zmodload -e	Loads one or more modules and generates error messages if loading fails
zmodload [ -a [ -bcp [ -I ] ] ] [ -iL ] …	Loads modules, specifying various loading options
zmodload-u [ -abcdp [ -I ] ] [ -iL ] …	Unloads modules, specifying various unloading options
zmodload -d [ -L ] [ name ]	Unloads a specific module or all loaded modules
zmodload -d name dep	Unloads a module and its dependencies
zmodload -ud name [ dep … ]	Unloads a module and its dependencies and unloads any unused modules
zmodload -ab [ -L ]	Lists all available built-in modules
zmodload -ab [ -i ] name [ builtin … ]	Loads one or more built-in modules and generates error messages if loading fails
zmodload -ub [ -i ] builtin …	Unloads one or more built-in modules
zmodload -ac [ -IL ]	Lists all available conditional modules
zmodload -ac [ -iI ] name [ cond … ]	Loads one or more conditional modules and generates error messages if loading fails
zmodload -uc [ -iI ] cond …	Unloads one or more conditional modules
zmodload -ap [ -L ]	Lists all available parameter expansion modules
zmodload -ap [ -i ] name [ parameter … ]	Loads one or more parameter expansion modules and generates error messages if loading fails
zmodload -up [ -i ] parameter …	Unloads one or more parameter expansion modules
zmodload -a [ -L ]	Lists all available modules
zmodload -a [ -i ] name [ builtin … ]	Loads one or more modules and generates error messages if loading fails
zmodload -ua [ -i ] builtin …	Unloads one or more modules
zmodload -e [ string … ]	Evaluates the given strings as Zsh code

Miscellaneous

As a powerful shell, Zsh includes a number of commands that add functionality and customization options. The commands listed below allow you to perform mathematical calculations directly in the shell, simplify command-line arguments, help customize various aspects of Zsh’s behavior, and many more.

Commands	Description
zcalc	Performs arithmetic calculations directly in the shell
xargs	Allows users to apply another command to a list of arguments, similar to xargs but with enhanced features
zprof	Provides profiling information for Zsh startup files, allowing user to optimize their loading time
zstyle	Customizes the behavior and appearance of the shell by setting various options and styles
zargs	Applies another command to a list of arguments
zprof	Profiles Zsh startup files, helps to optimize their loading time by identifying potential performance bottlenecks
zstyle	Configures and customizes various aspects of Zsh’s behavior, including shell options, command completion, and highlighting
vared	Provides a convenient way to edit variables in the shell using the editor specified by the EDITOR environment variable
push-line	Pushes the current command line onto the buffer and allows you to continue editing it, useful for complex command constructions
autoload	Allows users to lazily load Zsh functions
clone/detach	Allow you to create new instances of the current shell, either as a forked child process (clone) or as a detached background process (detach)
zcompile	Compiles Zsh scripts into a more efficient format, which can improve their execution time
zpty	Provides a way to create and interact with pseudo-terminals from within Zsh
ztcp	Allows users to create TCP and UDP connections directly from the shell. It can be used for various network-related tasks
zsocket	Allows users to create and interact with Unix domain sockets from within Zsh. This can be useful for inter-process communication
zparseopts	Simplifies the handling of command-line options and arguments in Zsh scripts by providing a convenient way to parse and process them
zregexparse	Provides a way to parse text using regular expressions and extract specific elements of interest. It is particularly useful for text manipulation tasks
zsh-mime-setup	Configures default programs and actions associated with different MIME types in the Zsh environment

Conclusion

To conclude, this Zsh Cheat Sheet is a great resource for learning important Zsh commands. Having these commands at your fingertips will increase your productivity and efficiency in the Zsh shell. Keep this cheat sheet handy to fully utilize Zsh for your command-line tasks. I hope you found this article useful. Please leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

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