Types of key bindings

  • navigate
  • edit
  • control
  • recall

Modifier keys

  • C-: Ctrl

  • M-: Meta is usually the Alt key on most keyboards, and possibly Esc on Mac computers

Key bindings

key binding description type comment
C-f move forward one character edit
C-b move backward one character edit
C-a move cursor to the beginning of the line navigate
C-e move cursor to the end of the line navigate
M-b move cursor backward to the beginning of word navigate
M-f move cursor forward to the end of word navigate
C-x C-x move cusor between the two most recent cursor positions navigate
C-u delete backwards from cursor to the beginning of the line edit
C-k delete forwards from cursor to the end of the line edit
C-w delete backwards from cursor to beginning of word edit
M-d delete forwards from cursor to end of word edit Use Esc on macOS.
C-h delete backwards a character edit
C-d delete forwards a character edit
C-y paste text that was cut edit
M-c capitalize from cursor to end of word edit
M-u make uppercase from cursor to end of word edit
M-l make lowercase from cursor to end of word edit
M-t swap current word with previous edit
C-t swap character under cursor with the previous one edit
C-_ undo edit
C-l clear the screen control
C-s stop output to the screen (for long running verbose command) control
C-q allow output to the screen (if previously stopped using command above) control
C-c terminate the command control
C-z suspend/stop the command control type bg to put the command at background
C-r search the history backwards recall
C-g escape from history searching mode recall
C-p previous command in history recall
C-n next command in history recall
M-. use the last word of the previous command recall
!! run last command recall
!foobar run the most recent command that starts with foobar recall e.g. !ls
!foobar:p print out the most recent command that starts with foobar recall
!$ run the last word of the previous command as a command recall same as M-.
!$:p print the last word of the previous command recall
!* run the previous command except for the last word as a command recall
!*:p print the previous command except for the last word recall

Direct data download

References

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