I moved from Windows to Ubuntu and learnt fast by doing. This guide shows the Linux Commands I use every day. It focuses on command line basics, navigation, permissions, package management and practical tips for Windows migration. I keep examples short. Try them in a terminal or a virtual machine before changing anything critical.
Start with the terminal. Open the app labelled Terminal, GNOME Terminal, or use the shortcut. The prompt shows the current user and path. Use pwd to print the working directory. Use ls -l to list files with details. Change directory with cd /path/to/dir. A few commands you will use constantly: mkdir mydir makes a directory, touch file.txt creates an empty file, cp source dest copies, mv oldname newname moves or renames, and rm file deletes. Be cautious with rm -rf because it removes recursively without asking. View file contents with cat file.txt, less file.txt for paging, head -n 20 file for the first lines and tail -n 50 file for the last lines. Search inside files with grep 'pattern' file and search the filesystem with find /path -name '*.conf'. Combine commands with pipes, for example ps aux | grep nginx. If a command offers options, use command --help or man command to read the manual. That habit cuts down confusion fast.
File permissions are a common stumbling block for Linux beginners. Check permissions with ls -l. An entry looks like -rwxr-xr-x 1 alice staff 1024 Jan 1 file. The first block shows type and permissions. r stands for read, w for write, and x for execute. Change permissions with chmod. Use chmod 644 file.txt to give owner read and write, and give group and others read only. Use chmod 755 script.sh to allow execution. Change ownership with chown alice:staff file.txt. For commands that require higher privileges use sudo before the command, for example sudo apt update. Avoid logging in as root. Create a normal user and use sudo for administrative tasks. On Ubuntu, the sudo timeout remembers your authentication for a short period. If a command fails with permission denied, check ownership and mode before changing them. For sharing files between Windows and Ubuntu, mount NTFS partitions read-write with udisksctl or via the file manager. For syncing, rsync -av --progress /source /destination is reliable and efficient.
Package management on Ubuntu centres on apt. Update package lists with sudo apt update. Upgrade installed packages with sudo apt upgrade. Install software with sudo apt install packagename. Remove with sudo apt remove packagename. Use apt search keyword to find packages. For newer desktop snaps use snap install packagename and view installed snaps with snap list. Some users prefer Flatpak for certain desktop apps; install it if you want alternative packaging. For development, install build-essential to get compilers and tools: sudo apt install build-essential. For version control install git and set it up with git config --global user.name "Your Name" and git config --global user.email "you@example.com". Enable the uncomplicated firewall with sudo ufw enable and check status with sudo ufw status. These are small steps that reduce surprises.
On Windows migration, back up first. Export bookmarks, export emails, and copy important folders to an external drive. Use rsync to copy large datasets: rsync -avh --progress /mnt/windows/Users/you/Documents /home/you/Documents. If you used Windows applications that have no native Linux version, check for a Linux alternative or use Wine for simple apps. If you use browsers, sign into the same profile to bring bookmarks and passwords across. For productivity files, LibreOffice reads most Microsoft Office documents. Set up SSH keys early with ssh-keygen -t ed25519 and copy the public key with ssh-copy-id user@host when needed for remote systems. Keep a small list of commands close by: pwd, ls -la, cd, cp, mv, rm, chmod, chown, sudo, apt update, apt install, rsync. Read man pages when something fails. Join communities like r/linux4noobs and Ask Ubuntu if you want targeted help and examples. Practice common tasks in a live USB session or a virtual machine until they feel natural. That practical repetition is the fastest route to confidence.
Final takeaway: learn a handful of Linux Commands and use them often. Keep commands short and atomic. Back up before major changes. Use sudo sparingly and prefer a normal user account. Install git, build-essential and a firewall early. Transfer files with rsync rather than drag and drop when possible. Follow those points and the technical stuff becomes routine quickly.
