60 Bash Keyboard Shortcuts

for Linux

529 3 minutes read

Software engineers, and avid fans of Bash, must give utmost importance to mastering the shell. And the mastering of shells can take place with the help of Bash Shortcuts. Mastering the Bash shortcuts will prevent you from following the boring manual steps.

Download Bash Keyboard Shortcuts PDF

Table of Contents

1 Download Bash Keyboard Shortcuts PDF
2 FAQs

The bash shell features a wide variety of Bash shortcuts you can use. The below list of Bash shortcuts will operate or work on any operating system. However, note that some of the bash shortcuts might not work if you are assessing bash remotely. Download the rich array of Bash Shortcuts list in the form of a PDF.

Editing Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcuts
Tab	Ctrl + I
New Line	Ctrl + J
Enter	Ctrl + M
Paste the Last Thing to be Cut	Ctrl + Y
Undo	Ctrl + _
Upper the case Every Character Form Cursor	Alt + U
Lower the case Every Character Form Cursor	Alt + L
Capitalize the Character Under Cursor and Move to the End of the Word	Alt + C
Cancel Changes and Put Back the Line	Alt + R
Delete Character Under Cursor	Ctrl + D
Delete Character From Left	Ctrl + H
Delete Word before Cursor	Alt + Delete
Delete Word after Cursor	Alt + D
Clear Screen	Ctrl + L
Escape	Ctrl + [
Cut Word Before Cursor to Clipboard	Ctrl + W
Cut Line After Cursor to Clipboard	Ctrl + K
Cut Line Before Cursor to Clipboard	Ctrl + U
Swap Current Word with Previous	Alt + T
Swap the Last Character before Cursor	Ctrl + T
Swap the Last Two Words Before the Cursor	Esc + T

Emacs and Vi Mode Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcut keys
Set Emacs Mode	$set -o emacs
Set Vi Mode	$set -o vi

Navigation Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcuts
Go to the Beginning of the Line	Home
Go to the End of the Line	End
Forward one character	Ctrl + F
Backward one character	Ctrl + B
Previous Command	Ctrl + P
Next Command	Ctrl + N
Back one word	Alt + B
Forward one word	Alt + F

Control Character Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcuts
^@	Ctrl + 2
^Escape	Ctrl + 3
^\	Ctrl + 4
^	Ctrl + 5
^^	Ctrl + 6
^_Undo	Ctrl + 7
^? Backward Delete Character	Ctrl + 8
Display Sequence for entering Key	Ctrl + V

History Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcuts
Recall Last Command	Ctrl + R
Previous Command in History	Ctrl + P
Next Command in History	Ctrl + N
Go back to Next Most Recent Command	Ctrl + S
Escape from History Searching Mode	Ctrl + O
Repeat Last Command	Ctrl + G
Run Last Command Starting with ABC	!!
Print the last Command starting with ABC	!abc
Last Argument of Previous Command	!abc:p
Last Argument of Previous Command	!$
All Arguments of Previous Command	Alt + .
Run Previous Command, replacing abc with def	^abc^def

Process Controls Shortcuts

Action	Bash Shortcuts
Interrupt or Kill Whatever you are running	Ctrl + C
Clear Screen	Ctrl + L
Stop Output to Screen	Ctrl + S
Allow Output to Screen	Ctrl + Q
Send an EOF Marker	Ctrl + D
Send the signal SIGTSTP to Current Task	Ctrl + Z

The bash shortcuts will boost maximizing your productivity to around 90%. However, Bash is not the only shell out there. The one that can be the best alternative to bash is ZSH. It is a default shell in macOS. No doubt the experience of using this shell can be quite different. Dig into the ZSH shortcuts list.

FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions about Bash keyboard shortcuts:

What is the shortcut to exit the Bash terminal?

Typing the “exit” command or pressing Ctrl + D will exit the Bash terminal.

Are there any shortcuts to search through command history in Bash?

Ctrl + R is the shortcut to search through command history in Bash.

How can I quickly navigate between words in the Bash command line?

Alt + B moves the cursor one word backward.
Alt + F moves the cursor one word forward.

What is the shortcut to clear the screen in Bash?

Ctrl + L is the shortcut to clear the screen in Bash.

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60 Bash Keyboard Shortcuts

for Linux