How to Fix 'Command Not Found' Errors Without Reinstalling Software
When a terminal returns a 'command not found' error, the cause is almost never a broken installation. The shell searches only directories listed in an environment variable called PATH, so a program can exist on disk yet remain invisible to the terminal. The error typically stems from one of three issues: a typo in the command, the software genuinely not being installed, or the install directory missing from PATH. Running 'which [command]' quickly identifies which situation applies, avoiding unnecessary reinstalls. Any PATH fix must be saved to the shell's startup file, such as ~/.bashrc, and reloaded with 'source' to take effect in the current session.
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