Linux Shell Line Editing Shortcuts

Common terminal line editing shortcuts for Bash and other readline-style shells. These shortcuts help edit long commands without reaching for the mouse or repeatedly pressing Backspace.

Delete text while editing a command

Use these shortcuts while typing or editing a command in the terminal.

Action	Shortcut
Delete previous word	Ctrl + W
Delete next word	Alt + D
Delete from cursor to start of line	Ctrl + U
Delete from cursor to end of line	Ctrl + K
Undo last edit	Ctrl + _ or Ctrl + X then Ctrl + U

Example

Given this command:

python manage.py runserver --settings config.local

• If the cursor is after local, pressing Ctrl + W deletes config.local.
• Pressing Ctrl + W again deletes –settings.

Word boundary behavior

Ctrl + W deletes based on shell/readline word boundaries. Paths and punctuation can behave differently depending on terminal and readline settings.

cd /home/user/projects/myapp

In a path like this, Ctrl + W may delete the whole path or delete chunks of it depending on the active shell/readline behavior.

Move word by word

Use these shortcuts to move through long commands quickly.

Action	Shortcut
Move back one word	Alt + B
Move forward one word	Alt + F
Delete previous word	Ctrl + W
Delete next word	Alt + D

Compact keyboard note

• On compact keyboards, Alt may also be treated as Meta.
• In most terminals, normal Alt + B, Alt + F, and Alt + D work directly.