macOS uses zsh by default, so aliases go in your ~/.zshrc file.

Creating a temporary alias

This lasts only until you close the terminal:

alias ll='ls -la'

Now typing ll runs ls -la. Useful for testing before making it permanent.

Making aliases permanent

Open your shell config file:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add your aliases anywhere in the file:

alias ll='ls -la'
alias gs='git status'
alias gp='git push'
alias gc='git commit -m'

Save (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X), then reload:

source ~/.zshrc

Useful alias ideas

Navigation shortcuts:

alias desktop='cd ~/Desktop'
alias projects='cd ~/Projects'
alias ..='cd ..'
alias ...='cd ../..'

Git shortcuts:

alias gs='git status'
alias ga='git add .'
alias gc='git commit -m'
alias gp='git push'
alias gl='git log --oneline'
alias gd='git diff'

Safety aliases (ask before destructive actions):

alias rm='rm -i'
alias cp='cp -i'
alias mv='mv -i'

These prompt you for confirmation before deleting, overwriting, or moving files.

Convenience:

alias cls='clear'
alias h='history'
alias ports='lsof -i -P -n | grep LISTEN'
alias myip='curl -s ifconfig.me'

Aliases with arguments (functions)

Regular aliases can't take arguments in the middle. For that, use a function:

mkcd() {
  mkdir -p "$1" && cd "$1"
}

Add this to ~/.zshrc. Now mkcd new-project creates a directory and moves into it.

Organizing aliases in a separate file

If you have a lot of aliases, keep them in their own file:

1. Create ~/.aliases:

nano ~/.aliases

2. Put your aliases there
3. Add this line to ~/.zshrc:

source ~/.aliases

Viewing your current aliases

alias

This lists every alias currently set. To check a specific one:

alias gs

Removing an alias

For the current session:

unalias gs

To remove it permanently, delete the line from ~/.zshrc and run source ~/.zshrc.