Have you ever wanted to use Terminal with a more fluid style and increase your speed and efficiency? This article was inspired by watching a colleague navigate long lines of command navigation using only the arrow keys. While my pain threshold is high, seeing this during a group presentation was painful. It's time to sharpen your shortcuts for command-line navigation. Improving your understanding of Terminal can significantly boost your productivity as a developer. Knowing the right shortcuts not only saves time but also makes you more efficient. In this article, we’ll cover essential terminal shortcuts that help you navigate and edit commands quickly and easily.
Terminal commands
Jump to the start or end of the line
When typing a long command, you might need to quickly move the cursor to the beginning or the end of the line. Instead of holding down the arrow keys, use these shortcuts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Jump to the start of the line |
| Ctrl + E | Jump to the end of the line |
Move by words
To move the cursor word by word, use the following shortcuts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Alt + F | Move forward one word |
| Alt + B | Move backward one word |
Delete text efficiently
Deleting text can be done much faster with these shortcuts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + W | Delete the word before the cursor |
| Ctrl + K | Delete from the cursor to the end of the line |
| Ctrl + U | Delete from the cursor to the start of the line |
| Ctrl + H | Delete the character before the cursor |
| Ctrl + D | Delete the character under the cursor |
Undo and redo changes
You can undo the last change you made with
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + / | Undo the last change |
Clearing the screen
If your terminal gets cluttered, clear the entire screen with
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + L | Clear the screen |
Managing the command history
Navigating through your command history can save you a lot of time. Use these shortcuts to quickly access previous commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Up Arrow | Scroll through previous commands |
| Down Arrow | Scroll through next commands |
| Ctrl + R | Search through command history (start typing to search, press Ctrl + R repeatedly to cycle through matches) |
Transposing and changing case
To transpose characters or change the case, use these shortcuts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + T | Transpose the characters before the cursor |
| Change the case of the character under the cursor: | |
| Alt + U | Uppercase |
| Alt + L | Lowercase |
| Alt + C | Capitalise |
Yank and paste
You can cut and paste text within the terminal using these shortcuts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + K | Cut from the cursor to the end of the line (yank) |
| Ctrl + Y | Paste the last yanked text |
Other useful shortcuts
Here are a few more shortcuts that can come in handy
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C | Abort the current command |
| Ctrl + Z | Suspend the current command |
| Ctrl + P | Move to the start of the previous command |
| Ctrl + N | Move to the start of the next command |
The wrap
Watching a colleague struggle through long lines of code with the arrow keys was a clear reminder of the importance of mastering terminal shortcuts. By sharpening your command-line navigation skills, you can avoid such inefficiencies and make your work much smoother. Learning and using these terminal shortcuts will make you more efficient and effective in your tasks, just as they helped alleviate the frustration of watching that presentation. Practice these shortcuts regularly, and soon they will become second nature.