Mac Terminal Shortcuts
A list of useful terminal shortcuts for macOS. Some obscure shortcuts like capitalizing words are purposely omitted.
Note: To use the Alt Key Shortcuts in macOS:
Open Terminal > Preferences > Profiles Tab > Keyboard Tab > Check "Use option as meta key"
Cursor Movement
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + E | Move cursor to end of the line |
| Ctrl + A | Move cursor to start of the line |
| Ctrl + F | Move cursor one character forward |
| Ctrl + B | Move cursor one character backward |
| Alt + F / Alt + Right | Move cursor one word forward |
| Alt + B / Alt + Left | Move cursor one word backward |
| Alt + Click | Move cursor to clicked character |
| Ctrl + XX | Toggle between the start of line and cursor position |
Editing
Commands with "Cut" will add the cut portion to the clipboard.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + L | Clears the screen |
| Ctrl + D | Delete character under the cursor |
| Ctrl + H | Delete character before the cursor |
| Ctrl + K | Cut everything from the cursor to end of the line |
| Ctrl + W / Alt + Backspace | Cut the current word before the cursor |
| Alt + D | Delete the word after the cursor |
| Ctrl + U | Cut the line before the cursor |
| Ctrl + Y | Paste the previous cut text |
| Ctrl + _ | Undo your last key press. You can repeat this to undo multiple times |
| Ctrl + T | Swap the last two characters before the cursor |
| Esc + T | Swap the last two words before the cursor |
History
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Previous command |
| Ctrl + R | Next command |
| Ctrl + S | Forward search |
| Ctrl + R | Reverse search |
| Ctrl + O | End search and execute command |
| Ctrl + G | Abort search (restores original line) |
Process
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C | Kills current task (SIGINT) |
| Ctrl + D | Inserts an EOF |
| Ctrl + Z | Pauses current task |
| Ctrl + S | Stop output to the screen (for long running verbose commands) |
| Ctrl + Q | Allow output to the screen (if previously stopped using stop output command) |