Complete Termux Guide - Basic and Advanced Commands

Termux ^[1] is a powerful Linux Terminal Emulator for Android that allows you to run Linux commands and install various packages. This guide includes both basic and advanced commands for working with Termux.

Debian

Installing Fish Shell - Better Command Line Experience

Before starting, it is recommended to install Fish Shell. Fish is an intelligent and user-friendly shell that makes working with the command line much easier.

Advantages of Fish Shell

Advanced autocomplete
Suggests commands based on history

Syntax highlighting
Correct commands appear green, errors appear red

Smart suggestions
Likely commands are shown while typing

Advanced history
Easily search through command history

Easy configuration
No complex setup required

Install Fish Highly Recommended!

To install Fish Shell, run the following command:

bash

pkg install fish

There are two ways to run Fish:

Each time you start Termux, type fish and press Enter manually.
Set fish as your default shell so you don’t need to run it manually every time.

Set Fish as the default shell:

bash

chsh -s fish

Using Fish

Autocomplete: Press Tab
Command suggestion: Use ← → keys to accept suggestions
History: Use ↑ ↓ to search history
Exit Fish: Type exit or press Ctrl + D

Other Alternatives Optional

Zsh with Oh-My-Zsh

bash

# Install Zsh
pkg install zsh

# Install Oh-My-Zsh (requires curl)
pkg install curl
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Commands

Basic Commands

Initial Update

If you return to Termux after a long time, it is better to upgrade the system and packages to the latest version first.

bash

# Update the system before starting
apt update && apt upgrade

Exit Termux

There are two ways to close Termux:

Press Ctrl + D
Type exit and press Enter

File and Directory Management

View Directory Contents

bash

# Show visible files and folders
ls

# Show all files including hidden ones
ls -a

# Show contents of a specific directory without entering it
ls -a storage/downloads/diana

Show Current Location

bash

# Show current path
pwd

Navigate Between Directories

bash

# Go back to the home directory
cd

# Go one level up
cd ..

# Go to a specific directory
cd storage/downloads/diana

Access Internal Storage

If you encounter a permission error when accessing internal storage, use:

bash

termux-setup-storage

After running this command, a confirmation dialog will appear. Allow access.

Delete File or Directory

bash

# Delete a file
rm FileName

# Delete a directory and its contents
rm -rf FolderName

⚠️ Warning

Be very careful when using rm -rf, as it deletes files permanently with no recovery.

Create and Edit Files

Install nano Text Editor

bash

pkg install nano

Create a New File

bash

# Create new file
nano diana

# Create file with extension
nano diana.py

Create a New directory

bash

# Create new Folder/Directory
mkdir diana

nano Control Keys

Ctrl + X Exit editor
Y Save file
N Don’t save changes
Ctrl + O Save without exiting

Copy and Move Files

Copy File

bash

# Copy file to destination
cp diana.txt storage/downloads

Move File Cut & Paste

bash

# Move file to destination
mv diana.txt storage/downloads

Networking Tools

Install Networking Tools

bash

pkg install dnsutils

Connectivity Test Ping

bash

# Ping an IP address
ping 8.8.8.8

# Ping a domain
ping aparat.com

# Limited ping (10 times)
ping -c 10 8.8.8.8

DNS Lookup

bash

# Get IP of domain
nslookup nginx.nscl.ir

# Get full DNS info
dig aparat.com

# Test DNS query speed
dig @8.8.8.8 google.com | grep "Query time"

Network Scanning

Install and Use Nmap

bash

# Install nmap
pkg install nmap

# Scan open ports
nmap YourIP/Domain

# Quick scan common ports
nmap -F example.com

# OS detection scan
nmap -O example.com

Download and Manage Files

Download Files from Internet

bash

# Install wget
pkg install wget

# Download file
wget https://example.com/file.zip

# Download file with specific name
wget -O newname.zip https://example.com/file.zip

# Download in background
wget -b https://example.com/largefile.zip

Extract Compressed Files

bash

# Install unzip
pkg install unzip

# Extract ZIP file
unzip filename.zip

# Extract to specific directory
unzip filename.zip -d /path/to/destination

Install Programming Languages

Python

bash

# Install Python 3
apt install python

# or
pkg install python

# Check installed version
python --version
python3 --version

PHP

bash

# Install PHP
apt install php

# or
pkg install php

# Check version
php --version

Node.js

bash

pkg install nodejs npm

Git

bash

pkg install git

CCrown

Code Management with Git

Git

Git is a distributed version control system used for managing code and collaborating on projects.

Git Initial Setup

bash

# Set username
git config --global user.name "Your Name"

# Set email
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Check settings
git config --list

Clone Repository

bash

# Clone repo from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Clone to specific directory
git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git my-folder

# Clone only latest commit (less size)
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/username/repo.git

Basic Git Commands

bash

# Check repo status
git status

# Add files to staging area
git add filename
git add .        # all files
git add *.py     # Python files

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Description message"

# Push changes to remote
git push origin main

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Show commit history
git log
git log --oneline  # summary

Branch Management

bash

# Show branches
git branch

# Create new branch
git branch new-feature

# Switch to branch
git checkout new-feature

# Create and switch at same time
git checkout -b new-feature

# Merge branch
git checkout main
git merge new-feature

# Delete branch
git branch -d new-feature

Manage Remote Repository

bash

# Show remotes
git remote -v

# Add new remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git

# Change remote URL
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/username/new-repo.git

Useful Git Tricks

bash

# Undo file changes
git checkout -- filename

# Remove file from Git (not system)
git rm --cached filename

# Show differences
git diff
git diff --staged

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend -m "New message"

# Rollback to previous commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1  # keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1  # remove changes

Working with GitHub from Termux

For cloning private repos or pushing changes, you need authentication:

bash

# Use Personal Access Token (recommended)
git clone https://token@github.com/username/private-repo.git

# Or set credential helper
git config --global credential.helper store

Important Note

For cloning large repositories from GitHub, it is recommended to use --depth 1 to download only the latest commit.

Package Management

Update System

bash

# Update package lists and install upgrades
apt update && apt upgrade

# or
pkg update && pkg upgrade

Search and Install Packages

bash

# Search package
pkg search package_name

# Show package info
pkg show package_name

# Uninstall package
pkg uninstall package_name

Useful Tips and Tricks

Command History

bash

# Show command history
history

# Run last command again
!!

# Search in history
Ctrl + R

Process Management

bash

# Show running processes
ps aux

# Kill process
kill PID

# Show system resource usage
top

Useful Shortcuts

Ctrl + C Stop current process
Ctrl + Z Suspend process
Ctrl + L Clear terminal
Tab Autocomplete
↑/↓ Browse command history

Common Issues Fixes

Storage Access Issue

If you cannot access internal storage:

Run termux-setup-storage
Allow access in confirmation dialog
Try again

Package Installation Issue

bash

# Clear cache
apt clean

# Update repo list
apt update

# Check storage space
df -h

Set Timezone

bash

pkg install tzdata

Termux

Download Links

Source	Download Link
F-Droid	Get it Now
GitHub	Get it Now
Google Play	Get it Now
ISH Shell for IOS	Get it Now
How to fix the installation error of Termux packages on Android 5/6	Fix Errors

I strongly recommend installing Termux only from the project’s GitHub repo or at most from F-Droid. The Google Play version is a complete disaster: full of strange bugs, commands don’t execute properly, packages don’t update, it’s frustrating. The best choice for any open-source app is always GitHub. Just look for the Releases section in the repo.

Additional Resources

For further learning

Doesn’t matter how you pronounce the app name: Termux or Termax, both are correct. Australians and British prefer "Termax," Americans more often say "Termux." It comes from Linux Terminal. Don’t worry too much. You can even call it "Asghar" if you like.
↩︎

Complete Termux Guide - Basic and Advanced Commands ​

Installing Fish Shell - Better Command Line Experience ​

Advantages of Fish Shell ​

Install Fish Highly Recommended! ​

Using Fish ​

Other Alternatives Optional ​

Basic Commands ​

Initial Update ​

Exit Termux ​

File and Directory Management ​

View Directory Contents ​

Show Current Location ​

Navigate Between Directories ​

Access Internal Storage ​

Delete File or Directory ​

Create and Edit Files ​

Install nano Text Editor ​

Create a New File ​

Create a New directory ​

nano Control Keys ​

Copy and Move Files ​

Copy File ​

Move File Cut & Paste ​

Networking Tools ​

Install Networking Tools ​

Connectivity Test Ping ​

DNS Lookup ​

Network Scanning ​

Install and Use Nmap ​

Download and Manage Files ​

Download Files from Internet ​

Extract Compressed Files ​

Install Programming Languages ​

Python ​

PHP ​

Node.js ​

Git ​

Code Management with Git ​

Git Initial Setup ​

Clone Repository ​

Basic Git Commands ​

Branch Management ​

Manage Remote Repository ​

Useful Git Tricks ​

Working with GitHub from Termux ​

Package Management ​

Update System ​

Search and Install Packages ​

Useful Tips and Tricks ​

Command History ​

Process Management ​

Useful Shortcuts ​

Common Issues Fixes ​

Storage Access Issue ​

Package Installation Issue ​

Set Timezone ​

Download Links ​

Additional Resources ​

Complete Termux Guide - Basic and Advanced Commands

Installing Fish Shell - Better Command Line Experience

Advantages of Fish Shell

Install Fish Highly Recommended!

Using Fish

Other Alternatives Optional

Basic Commands

Initial Update

Exit Termux

File and Directory Management

View Directory Contents

Show Current Location

Navigate Between Directories

Access Internal Storage

Delete File or Directory

Create and Edit Files

Install nano Text Editor

Create a New File

Create a New directory

nano Control Keys

Copy and Move Files

Copy File

Move File Cut & Paste

Networking Tools

Install Networking Tools

Connectivity Test Ping

DNS Lookup

Network Scanning

Install and Use Nmap

Download and Manage Files

Download Files from Internet

Extract Compressed Files

Install Programming Languages

Python

PHP

Node.js

Git

Code Management with Git

Git Initial Setup

Clone Repository

Basic Git Commands

Branch Management

Manage Remote Repository

Useful Git Tricks

Working with GitHub from Termux

Package Management

Update System

Search and Install Packages

Useful Tips and Tricks

Command History

Process Management

Useful Shortcuts

Common Issues Fixes

Storage Access Issue

Package Installation Issue

Set Timezone

Download Links

Additional Resources