# Keyboard shortcuts

# Editing Shortcuts

Shortcut Description
Ctrl + a move to the beginning of the line
Ctrl + e move to the end of the line
Ctrl + k Kill the text from the current cursor position to the end of the line.
Ctrl + u Kill the text from the current cursor position to the beginning of the line
Ctrl + w Kill the word behind the current cursor position
Alt + b move backward one word
Alt + f move forward one word
Ctrl + Alt + e shell expand line
Ctrl + y Yank the most recently killed text back into the buffer at the cursor.
Alt + y Rotate through killed text. You can only do this if the prior command is Ctrl + y or Alt + y.

Killing text will delete text, but save it so that the user can reinsert it by yanking. Similar to cut and paste except that the text is placed on a kill ring which allows for storing more than one set of text to be yanked back on to the command line.

You can find out more in the emacs manual (opens new window).

# Recall Shortcuts

Shortcut Description
Ctrl + r search the history backwards
Ctrl + p previous command in history
Ctrl + n next command in history
Ctrl + g quit history searching mode
Alt + . use the last word of the previous command
repeat to get the last word of the previous + 1 command
Alt + n Alt + . use the nth word of the previous command
!! + Return execute the last command again (useful when you forgot sudo: sudo !!)

# Job Control

Shortcut Description
Ctrl + c Stop the current job
Ctrl + z Suspend the current job (send a SIGTSTP signal)

# Macros

Shortcut Description
Ctrl + x, ( start recording a macro
Ctrl + x, ) stop recording a macro
Ctrl + x, e execute the last recorded macro

# Custome Key Bindings

With the bind command it is possible to define custom key bindings.

The next example bind an Alt + w to >/dev/null 2>&1:

bind '"\ew"':"\" >/dev/null 2>&1\""

If you want to execute the line immediately add \C-m (Enter) to it:

bind '"\ew"':"\" >/dev/null 2>&1\C-m\""

# Remarks

bind -P show all configured shortcuts.