Using a Linux terminal could be much easier with shortcuts. I’ll write down some of them in this article, mostly as a reminder to my future self. I think, however, that it might be useful to other people as well, so why not publish it ony my blog?

This is how my terminal emulator looks like.

image

I actually use kitty, but that is not the subject of this article. (Just a tiny recommendation, because kitty is great.)

In any Linux terminal, there are some shortcuts that help you achieve more in less time, and with less effort. The following list consist of some of them:

  • Ctrl + C - cancel current command
  • Ctrl + U - delete everything from the current cursor position to the beginning of the line; that’s faster than pressing Backspace multiple times
  • Ctrl + A - go to the beginning of the line
  • Ctrl + E - go to the end of the line
  • Ctrl + D - delete character under the current cursor position
  • Ctrl + W - delete previous word
  • Ctrl + L - clear terminal screen; much faster than typing clear command
  • Ctrl + R - search for previous commands
  • Ctrl + G - leaves history search initiated with Ctrl + R

I use these shortcuts on a daily basis. There are not the only ones; you can search and learn other ones if you feel the need to become even more efficient in your work.