# Bash Shortcuts

These are Readline (Emacs-mode) key bindings — they work the same in Bash, Zsh, and most REPLs, on Linux and macOS. Learning even the top row (`Ctrl-A`, `Ctrl-R`, `Ctrl-W`) makes the shell dramatically faster.

## Move the Cursor

| Keys | Moves to |
| --- | --- |
| `Ctrl-A` | start of the line |
| `Ctrl-E` | end of the line |
| `Alt-B` | back one word |
| `Alt-F` | forward one word |
| `Ctrl-XX` | toggle between start and current position |

## Edit the Line

| Keys | Does |
| --- | --- |
| `Ctrl-W` | delete the word before the cursor |
| `Ctrl-U` | delete from cursor to start of line |
| `Ctrl-K` | delete from cursor to end of line |
| `Ctrl-Y` | paste (yank) what you just deleted |
| `Alt-D` | delete the word after the cursor |
| `Ctrl-T` | transpose (swap) the last two characters |
| `Alt-U / Alt-L` | uppercase / lowercase the next word |
| `Ctrl-_` | undo the last edit |

> **Cut and paste, shell-style.** `Ctrl-U`, `Ctrl-K`, and `Ctrl-W` don't just delete — they cut into a buffer. `Ctrl-Y` pastes it back, so you can move text around the line.

## History

| Keys / token | Does |
| --- | --- |
| `Ctrl-R` | reverse-search history (type to filter) |
| `Ctrl-G` | cancel the history search |
| `Ctrl-P / Ctrl-N` | previous / next command |
| `Alt-.` | insert the last argument of the previous command |
| `!!` | the entire previous command |
| `!$` | the last argument of the previous command |
| `!abc` | the most recent command starting with abc |

**The classic sudo rescue**

```bash
apt update          # oops, permission denied
sudo !!             # re-runs: sudo apt update
```

## Control the Shell

| Keys | Does |
| --- | --- |
| `Ctrl-C` | interrupt the running command |
| `Ctrl-D` | end of input / log out of the shell |
| `Ctrl-Z` | suspend to the background (`fg` to resume) |
| `Ctrl-L` | clear the screen (same as `clear`) |
| `Ctrl-S / Ctrl-Q` | pause / resume terminal output |