Download Kali Linux Commands PDF for free. Learn 250+ best Kali Linux commands and increase your basic knowledge about Kali Penetration OS.
Kali is the very first choice of all the people related to ethical hacking and penetration testing. There are dozens of reasons behind it. One reason is that Kali comes preloaded with many useful tools used for penetration testing. We can access those tool’s interface via terminal using Kali Linux Commands.
Favorite penetration tools include NMAP, backtrack, MITM, etc. It matters a lot because there’s no need to download and install them. Hence, it’s also said that Kali is heaven for ethical hackers.
We should have basic knowledge of Kali Linux commands. That’s because if we know about commands, it’ll become easy for us to perform the tasks using the terminal. We can even install Kali Linux on USB instead of installing it on HDD. It gives us full portability and power to boot on any machine.
250+ Kali Linux Commands In 2022
Here are all Kali Linux commands with examples. I’ve written down their operations e.g task to be performed once the command is executed.
| S. No. | Kali Linux Commands | Function |
|---|---|---|
From A | ||
| 1. | apropos | Get Help Related Documents |
| 2. | apt-get | Fetch Software Packages Directly From Internet |
| 3. | aptitude | It can also be used to fetch software packages directly |
| 4. | aspell | Spell Checker Command |
| 5. | awk | Use to Find or Replace text |
From B |
||
| 6. | basename | Get the directory and suffix from filenames |
| 7. | bash | GNU Bourne-Again Shell |
| 8. | bc | Precision calculator language |
| 9. | bg | Send items to background |
| 10. | break | Exit the command or loop running |
| 11. | builtin | Run shell builtin |
| 12. | bzip2 | Compress files to decrease their size Extraction/Compression |
From C |
||
| 13. | cal | Used to display current calendear |
| 14. | case | Put conditions in commands like if then structure |
| 15. | cat | Concatenate and display data of files |
| 16. | cd | Browse through directories |
| 17. | cfdisk | Partition table manipulator |
| 18. | chgrp | Change ownership of group |
| 19. | chkconfig | Check system configuration |
| 20. | chmod | Change the permissions |
| 21. | chown | Change owner or group of files |
| 22. | chroot | Run command on different directory |
| 23. | cksum | Print CRC and byte counts |
| 24. | clear | Clear all the things in terminal to start fresh |
| 25. | cmp | Compare two files to get detailed difference |
| 26. | comm | Used to compare two sorted files line by line in details |
| 27. | command | Run a command |
| 28. | continue | COntinue the loop/process |
| 29. | cp | Copy files from one location to another |
| 30. | cron | Schedule the commands to run at particular time |
| 31. | crontab | Schedule command to run later at time |
| 32. | csplit | Break/Split files into two parts |
| 33. | cut | Divide files into many parts |
From D |
||
| 34. | date | Display current date and can also change it |
| 35. | dc | Show desk calculator |
| 36. | dd | Copy and convert a file |
| 37. | ddrescue | Data recovery pool command |
| 38. | declare | Declare your variables with ease |
| 39. | df | Show up free disk space on hard drive |
| 40. | diff | Difference between two files |
| 41. | diff3 | Difference between 3 files |
| 42. | dig | Get DNS Details |
| 43. | dir | Show all the directory details |
| 44. | dircolors | Directory tree color change |
| 45. | dirname | Full pathname to a path |
| 46. | dirs | Display recent directories |
| 47. | dmesg | Kernel and driver messages on screen |
| 48. | du | File space usage estimation |
From E |
||
| 49. | echo | Display message on screen |
| 50. | egrep | Find all the files in which particular lines are contained |
| 51. | eject | Unplug external connected device |
| 52. | enable | Enable and disable shell commands (builtin) |
| 53. | env | Environment variables |
| 54. | ethtool | Adjust enternet card settings |
| 55. | eval | Evaluate several commands/arguements |
| 56. | exec | Execute commands |
| 57. | exit | Exit |
| 58. | expand | Tabs to spaces |
| 59. | expect | Automate arbitrary applications |
| 60. | export | Set env. variables |
| 61. | expr | Evaluate exp. |
From F |
||
| 62. | fdformat | Formt a floppy |
| 63. | fdisk | Partition table |
| 64. | fg | Send task to foreground |
| 65. | fgrep | Search for lines that contains specific string/words |
| 66. | file | Check file type |
| 67. | find | Find files with some adjustments and criteria |
| 68. | fmt | Reformat paragraph |
| 69. | fold | Wrap text |
| 70. | for | Expand words |
| 71. | format | Format internal/external partitions |
| 72. | free | Display memory usage |
| 73. | fsck | File system consistency |
| 74. | ftp | File transport protocol to transfer files |
| 75. | function | Define function |
| 76. | fuser | Identify/Kill the process accessing particular file |
From G |
||
| 77. | gawk | Find and Replace Text |
| 78. | getopts | Parse parameters which are positional |
| 79. | grep | Search files for lines in given pattern |
| 80. | groupadd | Add new user to group |
| 81. | groupdel | Delete any group |
| 82. | groupmod | Use it to modify group |
| 83. | groups | Print groups you're in |
| 84. | gzip | Compress files/folders |
From H |
||
| 85. | hash | Remember full path of the name argument |
| 86. | head | First part of file |
| 87. | help | Display help of any command |
| 88. | history | History of all commands executed so far |
| 89. | hostname | Print system name |
From I |
||
| 90. | iconv | Convert character set of the file |
| 91. | id | Print user or group ID |
| 92. | if | Create if command structure |
| 93. | ifconfig | Show network interface |
| 94. | ifdown | Stop network interface |
| 95. | ifup | Start network interface |
| 96. | import | Capture server screen and save |
| 97. | install | Install |
From J |
||
| 98. | jobs | Show all active tasks |
| 99. | join | Join lines on common field |
From K |
||
| 100. | kill | Kill a process from running |
| 101. | killall | Kill all the processes |
From L |
||
| 102. | less | Display output of screen |
| 103. | let | Arithmetic shell |
| 104. | ln | Symbolic link of the file |
| 105. | local | Create local variables |
| 106. | locate | Find files at locations |
| 107. | logname | Print login name |
| 108. | logout | Exit login shell |
| 109. | look | Display lines |
| 110. | lpc | Line printer control |
| 111. | lpr | Off line |
| 112. | lprint | Print file |
| 113. | lprintd | Abort print |
| 114. | lprintq | List print queue |
| 115. | lprm | Remove print queue (Single Item) |
| 116. | ls | List files in particular directory |
| 117. | lsof | List of all the files which are currently open |
From M |
||
| 118. | make | Recompible programs |
| 119. | man | Show help manual |
| 120. | mkdir | Create new folders |
| 121. | mkfifo | Make FIFOs |
| 122. | mkisofs | CREATE iso9660/joliet/hfs filesystem |
| 123. | mknod | Make character files |
| 124. | mmv | Move and rename files in bulk |
| 125. | more | Display output in one screen at a time |
| 126. | mount | Mount the file system |
| 127. | mtools | Manipulate MS-DOS files |
| 128. | mtr | Traceroute/ping |
| 129. | mv | Move files and directories |
From N |
||
| 130. | netstat | Current network information |
| 131. | nice | Set command priority |
| 132. | nl | List number of lines |
| 133. | nohup | Run command immune to hangups |
| 134. | notify-send | Push desktop notifications |
| 135. | nslookup | Name servers lookup |
From O |
||
| 136. | op | Operator access |
| 137. | open | Open particular file with application assigned to it |
From P |
||
| 138. | passwd | Change any user's password |
| 139. | paste | Merge files |
| 140. | pathchk | Check file path |
| 141. | ping | Ping any particular address |
| 142. | pkill | Stop process |
| 143. | popd | Restore previous values of directory |
| 144. | pr | Prepare files for printing purpose |
| 145. | printcap | Print capability |
| 146. | printenv | Print environment |
| 147. | printf | Display output |
| 148. | ps | Process status |
| 149. | pushd | Save & change current directory |
| 150. | pwd | Display working directory |
From Q |
||
| 151. | quota | Display quota |
| 152. | quotacheck | Check file for quota usage |
| 153. | quotactl | Set disk quotas |
From R |
||
| 154. | ram | Ram disk device |
| 155. | rcp | Copy file from one computer to another |
| 156. | read | Read a line |
| 157. | readarray | Read the array |
| 158. | readonly | Set file type to readonly to give restrictions |
| 159. | reboot | Reboot computer |
| 160. | remsync | Synchronize remote files |
| 161. | rename | Rename files |
| 162. | renice | Alter priority |
| 163. | return | Exit function |
| 164. | rev | Reverse line |
| 165. | rm | Remove files |
| 166. | rmdir | Remove the folders |
| 167. | rsync | Sync file trees |
From S |
||
| 168. | scp | Secure copy |
| 169. | screen | Multiplex the terminal |
| 170. | sdiff | Combine two files interactively |
| 171. | sed | Stream editor |
| 172. | select | Accept the kwyboard input |
| 173. | seq | Print sequences |
| 174. | set | Manipulate shell variables |
| 175. | sftp | Secure FTP connection |
| 176. | shift | Shift the parameters which are positional |
| 177. | shopt | Display shell options |
| 178. | shutdown | Shutdown computer |
| 179. | sleep | Put computer to sleep |
| 180. | slocate | Locate files |
| 181. | sort | Sort the files |
| 182. | source | Run commands from the file |
| 183. | split | Broke files into justified parts |
| 184. | ssh | Launch remote login program |
| 185. | strace | Trace calls and signals |
| 186. | su | Substitute user identity |
| 187. | sudo | Execute command as another user |
| 188. | sum | Print checksum of file |
| 189. | suspend | Suspend execution of file |
| 190. | symlink | Make new name for file |
| 191. | sync | Sync the data |
From T |
||
| 192. | tail | Display last part of any file |
| 193. | tar | Tape Archiver (Compress Files) |
| 194. | tee | Redirect output to multiple files |
| 195. | test | Evaluate conditional expression |
| 196. | time | Display time |
| 197. | times | User and system times |
| 198. | top | List of top services running in computer |
| 199. | touch | To change file timestamps |
| 200. | tr | Translate |
| 201. | traceroute | Trace back to host |
| 202. | trap | Run any particular command when signal is set |
| 203. | true | No action |
| 204. | tsort | Topological sorting |
| 205. | tty | Print terminal on stdin filename |
| 206. | type | Describe any command |
From U |
||
| 207. | ulimit | Put limits on user resources |
| 208. | umask | File creation mask |
| 209. | umount | Unmount the device |
| 210. | unalias | Alias removal |
| 211. | uname | Display system information |
| 212. | unexpand | Space to tabs |
| 213. | uniq | Uniquify the files |
| 214. | units | Convert units from scale |
| 215. | unset | Remove variable |
| 216. | unshar | Unpack shell archive scripts |
| 217. | until | Until condition |
| 218. | uptime | Display uptime of machine |
| 219. | useradd | Add new user |
| 220. | usermod | Modify existing user |
| 221. | users | Display all the users |
| 222. | uudecode | Decode a file created by uuencode |
| 223. | uuencode | Binary files encode |
From V |
||
| 224. | v | List directory contents (`ls -l -b’) |
| 225. | vdir | List directory contents (`ls -l -b’) |
| 226. | vi | Default text editor |
| 227. | vmstat | Display Virtual memory statistics |
From W |
||
| 228. | wait | Wait till process is complete |
| 229. | watch | Periodically display a program |
| 230. | wc | Display byte, word, and line counts |
| 231. | wget | Get files (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP supported) |
| 232. | whereis | Search path etc. |
| 233. | which | Search path for program |
| 234. | while | Conditional statement |
| 235. | who | Print all users which are currently logged in |
| 236. | whoami | Show current user profile |
| 237. | write | Send message to other user. |
From X |
||
| 238. | xargs | Utility, passing constructed argument lists execution |
| 239. | xdg-open | Open file/url using default program |
From Y |
||
| 240. | yes | Print string until any obstacle |
These are all the Kali Linux commands you can use inside the terminal. I’ve executed all the commands using Kali, and they perform many important tasks.
Keep this in mind that these commands are related to the inbuilt function of OS. If you’ve installed 3rd party software, make sure to check its documentation for the commands. You can only access the OS’s inbuilt functions using the codes listed above in the table.
Kali Linux Commands List PDF Download
Interested people can download an offline copy of these commands. Now there’s no need to visit this page again and again. Click on the Download button and save the PDF locally on your device.
Conclusion
Almost all the Kali inbuilt commands are listed in this article. They can be used to perform some important task and to change inbuilt system settings as well. I’ve also suggested above that these codes aren’t related to the third party applications but the OS itself.
If you’ve some other interesting commands which aren’t listed in this article, then feel free to drop them in the comment section, and I’ll add them into the article. Don’t forget to share this information with your friends who take interest in penetration testing.
