Linux directories

Linux has a different directory structure than Windows or macOS. The most important directory is the root directory, denoted with a slash "/". All directories and files are located under this directory.

List of directories

directory	description
/	This is the root directory of the file system.
/boot	Contains the kernel and other files needed to boot the system.
/etc	Configuration files for the entire system.
/bin /usr/bin	/bin contains essential binaries and /usr/bin contains less important binaries.
/sbin /usr/sbin	Contain system binaries. These binaries are often only executable as root.
/usr	Read-only files, most of the applications accessible to multiple users.
/var	Contains variable files.
/lib /usr/lib	Contain the libraries used in the binaries located in /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin and /usr/sbin.
/home	Contains the personal data of every user. The Documents, Downloads and Desktop directories are located in here.
/root	Home directory of the root user.
/tmp	Temporary files. These files are often removed between reboots.
/dev	Interfaces to the hardware of the computer.
/proc	Virtual filesystem that contains information about the kernel and system processes.
/sys	Information about drivers, devices and some kernel features.
/media	Mount points for removable media.
/mnt	Mount points for filesystems.