──────────────────────────────────────────────
This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for general terminal commands, navigation, window management, file manager operations, and common browser/app shortcuts. Use it as a productivity boost across your Linux environment!
──────────────────────────────────────────────
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C | Cancel/terminate the currently running process |
| Ctrl + D | Logout of the terminal (or send EOF: End Of File) |
| Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal screen |
| Ctrl + S | Pause terminal output (freeze scrolling) |
| Ctrl + Q | Resume terminal output |
| Ctrl + Z | Suspend the current process (send it to background) |
| Ctrl + A | Move cursor to the beginning of the line |
| Ctrl + E | Move cursor to the end of the line |
| Ctrl + U | Delete text from the cursor to the beginning of the line |
| Ctrl + K | Delete text from the cursor to the end of the line |
| Ctrl + W | Delete the word before the cursor |
| Ctrl + Y | Paste (yank) the last deleted text |
| Ctrl + R | Reverse search through command history |
| Ctrl + G | Exit history search mode |
──────────────────────────────────────────────
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Alt + F | Move forward one word |
| Alt + B | Move backward one word |
| Alt + D | Delete the word after the cursor |
| Alt + Backspace | Delete the word before the cursor |
| Shift + Page Up | Scroll up in the terminal (view previous output) |
| Shift + Page Down | Scroll down in the terminal |
──────────────────────────────────────────────
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Open a new terminal tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + W | Close the current terminal tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new terminal window |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open applications |
| Alt + Shift + Tab | Switch between open applications (reverse order) |
| Super + Left | Snap/move window to the left half of the screen |
| Super + Right | Snap/move window to the right half of the screen |
| Super + Up | Maximize the window |
| Super + Down | Minimize (or restore) the window |
Note: The “Super” key is typically the Windows key or Command key (on some keyboards).
──────────────────────────────────────────────
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Open a new file manager window |
| Ctrl + T | Open a new tab in the file manager |
| Ctrl + W | Close the current tab or window |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder |
| F2 | Rename the selected file or folder |
| Delete | Move the selected file/folder to Trash |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently delete the file/folder without moving to Trash |
| Ctrl + X | Cut the selected file/folder |
| Ctrl + C | Copy the selected file/folder |
| Ctrl + V | Paste the file/folder |
| Ctrl + A | Select all files/folders |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the last closed tab (supported in some managers) |
Note: Shortcuts in file managers can vary between GNOME Files, Dolphin, Thunar, etc. Refer to your file manager’s documentation for details.
──────────────────────────────────────────────
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + T | Open a new tab (in browsers and some apps) |
| Ctrl + W | Close the current tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the last closed tab |
| Ctrl + Tab | Switch to the next tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Switch to the previous tab |
| Alt + F4 | Close the active window/application |
You can create shortcuts for frequently used commands using aliases.
Example:
alias ll='ls -lah' alias gs='git status' alias c='clear'
To make them permanent, add them to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc and run:
source ~/.bashrc # or source ~/.zshrc
To create a shortcut (symbolic link) to a file or directory:
ln -s /path/to/original /path/to/shortcut
Example:
ln -s /var/www/html ~/myweb
This creates myweb as a shortcut to /var/www/html.