Linux is a free and open-source operating system. It’s been around since 1991, but it continues to be an important alternative choice away from Windows and Mac.
List of Linux, Tmux, Vim Commands and Chrome OS Shortcuts
We’ve put together this collection of cheat sheets that you can follow to help you navigate the operating system and its programs effectively and get the most out of them. This bundle contains:
Linux commands
Chrome OS shortcuts
Vim commands
Tmux commands
Read this article to help you get even more from Linux! You will be required to complete a short form, but it’s well worth it!
Display recently used commands. You can also view these commands via the Up and Down keys.
history
Repeat a recently used command. You can use !n repeat the n-th command in history or !-n to repeat what happened n commands ago.
!
Display the manual for a terminal program.
man
Display a brief description of a terminal program. A simpler alternative to the man command.
whatis
Create a shortcut to a command or, when combined with the cd command, directory.
alias
Exit or close the terminal.
exit
Linux Commands for Terminal
Change directory. Used to navigate between folders.
cd
Display current directory.
pwd
Change current directory.
cd
Display a list of files in the current directory.
ls
Makes a copy of a file. Defaults to the current directory unless you specify a specific one.
cp
Move a file from one directory to another.
mv
Remove a file or set of files.
rm
Display when a file was last accessed, modified, or changed.
stat
Change the date accessed or date modified time of a given file to right now.
touch
Delete a file or files.
rmdir
Create a directory. Defaults to the current directory, but you can also specify one.
mkdir
Delete a directory. Defaults to the current directory, but you can also specify one. The target directory must be completely empty.
rmdir
Change the name of a file or set of files.
rename
Search a specific directory (or your entire PC) to find files that match designated criteria.
find
Search for files or directories. Faster than the find command, but has fewer options.
locate
Search a specific file or set of files to see if a string of text exists and where.
grep
Attach a separate filesystem (such as an external hard drive or USB stick) to your system’s main filesystem.
mount
Detach a separate filesystem from your system’s main filesystem.
umount
Display the contents of a text file. Also works with multiple files.
cat
Modify the read, write, and execute permissions of a file.
chmod
Change the user or group that owns a file.
chown
Linux Commands for Navigation and File Management
Switch user. Unless you designate a specific user, this command will attempt to sign in as the root user (which you can think of as the system administrator)
su
Displays the current user name.
whoami
Display current user and group.
id
Create or update a user’s password.
passwd
Linux Commands for Users
Displays core system information such as kernel version, hardware, and operating system.
uname
Enter before a command to perform the command as a system administrator. Users must have administrator privileges for this to work.
sudo
Programs for installing software and updates. Which one to use depends on your Linux-based operating system. Each requires administrator rights and additional instructions, such as sudo apt install program-name.
apt/dnf/pacman
Display the status of all current jobs. A job is a representation of a running process or group of processes.
jobs
Send a job to the background.
bg
Send a job to the foreground.
fg
End a process according to its process ID (which you can get using the ps command).
kill
End all processes whose names match your query.
killall
Display a list of running processes. Defaults to processes started by the current user.
ps
Displays a list of running processes, sorted by how much CPU each uses. Unlike ps, the command updates in real-time.
top
Displays time since last boot.
uptime
Finds the executable file for a program.
whereis
Displays how much disk space is used and free on your system.
df
Displays how much RAM is used and free on your system.
free
Linux Commands for System Administration
Displays your IP address, network interfaces, bandwidth usage, and more.
ip
Send or receive data from another computer on a network. Often used to test whether a network connection is established and the speed of that connection.
ping
Lookup a domain’s DNS address.
dig
Download a file
wget
Secure Shell. Connect and login to s remote network location.
ssh
Linux Commands for Network Management
Display a line of text. Often used in programs and scripts to relay information to users.
echo
Displays possible factors of a decimal number.
factor
Solve math equations.
expr
Lookup a word in the dictionary.
look
Miscellaneous Linux Commands
Chrome OS shortcuts
Open Print dialog
Ctrl + P
Save the current webpage
Ctrl + S
Refresh the page
Ctrl + R
Refresh the page without loading cache
Ctrl + Shift + R
Open a file
Ctrl + O
View history
Ctrl + H
Open Downloads
Ctrl + J
Bookmark current page
Ctrl + D
Bookmark all open tabs
Ctrl + Shift + D
Toggle bookmarks bar
Ctrl + Shift + B
Open Chrome’s menu
Alt + E
Open Task Manager
Search + Esc
View page source
Ctrl + U
Open the Developer Tools panel
Ctrl + Shift + I
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for basic Chrome functions
Delete next character. Equivalent to Delete key on Windows
Alt + Backspace
Delete previous word
Ctrl + Backspace
Delete next word
Ctrl + Alt + Backspace
Select all
Ctrl + A
Select all text in the address bar
Ctrl + L
Move the cursor to the next/previous word
Ctrl + Right/Left
Select next/previous word
Ctrl + Shift + Right/Left
Select all text to the end/beginning of the current line
Shift + Search + Right/Left
Jump to the end/beginning of a text field/document
Ctrl + Search + Right/Left
Copy
Ctrl + C
Cut
Ctrl + X
Paste
Ctrl + V
Paste without formatting
Ctrl + Shift + V
Undo
Ctrl + Z
Redo
Ctrl + Y
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Text Editing
Zoom in
Ctrl + Plus (+)
Zoom out
Ctrl + Minus (-)
Reset zoom to 100%
Ctrl + 0 (Zero)
Search the current page
Ctrl + F
Go back one page
Alt + Left
Go forward one page
Alt + Right
Scroll up page. Equivalent to Page Up key in Windows
Alt + Up
Scroll down page. Equivalent to Page Down key in Windows
Alt + Down
Jump to top of page. Equivalent to Home key in Windows
Ctrl + Alt + Up
Jump to bottom of page. Equivalent to End key in Windows
Ctrl + Alt + Down
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Webpage Navigation
Open new window
Ctrl + N
Open new incognito window
Ctrl + Shift + N
Open new tab
Ctrl + T
Close current tab
Ctrl + W
Close current window
Ctrl + Shift + W
Reopen last closed tab
Ctrl + Shift + T
Switch to tab 1-8
Ctrl + 1 – 8
Switch to last tab
Ctrl + 9
Move to next tab
Ctrl + Tab
Move to prior tab
Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Open link in a new tab
Ctrl + Click
Open link in a new tab and switch to it immediately
Ctrl + shift + Click
Open link in a new window
Shift + Click
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Tabs and Windows
Open shelf apps 1-8
Alt + 1-8
Open last app on the shelf
Alt + 9
Switch to last-opened app; keep pressing to cycle throughs apps
Alt + Tab
Switch to least recently opened app; keep pressing to cycle through apps
Alt + Shift + Tab
Pin current app to the left side of the screen
Alt + [
Pin current app to the right side of the screen
Alt + ]
Maximize current window
Alt + Equals (=)
Minimize current window
Alt + Minus (-)
Move window between screens (when using multiple monitors)
Search + Alt + M
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Apps and Shelf
Equivalent to a right-click
Alt + Click
Equivalent to a middle-click
Click with three fingers
Scroll up or down on the page
Swipe up or down with two fingers
Go forward/back one page
Swipe right/left with two fingers
Equivalent to the Window Switcher key
Swipe down with three fingers
Move between open Chrome tabs
Swipe right/left with three fingers
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Trackpad
Highlight bookmarks bar; use arrows to navigate
Shift + Alt + B
Highlight the icons in the address bar row
Shift + Alt + T
Highlight the status area at the bottom-right
Shift + Alt + S
Highlight the first shelf icon
Shift + Alt + L
Move to previous keyboard-accessible area on screen
Ctrl + Back
Move to next keyboard-accessible area on screen
Ctrl + Forward
Opens right-click menu for highlighted element
Shift + Search + Volume Up
Toggle high contrast mode
Search + Ctrl + H
Magnify the entire screen
Search + Ctrl + M
Magnify part of the screen
Search + Ctrl + D
Toggle ChromeVox, the built-in screen reader
Ctrl + Alt + Z
Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Accessibility/Advanced Navigation
Add “www.” and “.com” to text in the address bar and open page
Ctrl + Enter
Show hidden files in Files app
Ctrl + Period (.)
Use F keys (F1 through F12)
Search + 1-Equals (=)
Switch to next user (if applicable)
Ctrl + Alt + Period (.)
Switch to previous user (if applicable)
Ctrl + Alt + Comma (,)
Cycle between keyboard languages (if applicable)
Ctrl + Shift + Space
Open Files app
Alt + Shift + M
Miscellaneous Chrome OS Keyboard Shortcuts
Vim commands
Move cursor left
h
Move cursor down
j
Move cursor up
k
Move cursor right
l
Move cursor to the start of the next word
w OR W
Move cursor to the start of the previous word
b OR B
Move forward to the end of a word
e OR E
Move to the start of the line
0
Move to the first non-blank character of the line
^
Move to the end of the line
$
Go to the last line of the document
G
Go to the line number n
nG OR :n
To the position before the latest jump, where the last m command was given
“
Move to next occurrence of character x
fx
Move to one character before the character x
tx
Move to next paragraph
}
Move to previous paragraph
{
Move to home (top) of screen
H
Move to last line of screen
L
Move to middle of screen
M
Move to 3rd instance of character x forward from cursor on current line
3, f, x
Move to 3rd instance of character x back from cursor on current line
3, F, x
Vim Commands for Cursor Movement
Replace a single character
r
Cut (delete) a line
dd
Yank (copy) a line
yy
Yank (copy) two lines
2yy
Join line below to the current one
J
Change (replace) entire line
cc OR S
Change (replace) to the end of the word
cw
Change (replace) to the end of the line
c$
Delete character and substitute text
s
Transpose two letters (letter and paste)
xp
Undo
u
Redo
Ctrl r
Repeat last command
.
Vim Commands for Editing a File
Search for word under cursor
*
Search for pattern
/pattern
Search backward for pattern
?pattern
Repeat search in same direction
n
Repeat search in opposite direction
N
Replace all instances of old with new
“%s/old/new/g
Replace all instances of old with new, with confirmations
:%s/old/new/gc
Vim Commands for Search and Replace
Move screen up by half page
Ctrl u
Move screen up by one page
Ctrl b
Move screen down by half page
Ctrl d
Move screen down by one page
Ctrl f
Center screen on cursor
zz
Align top of screen with cursor
zt
Align bottom of screen with cursor
zb
Vim Commands for Screen Movement
Enter insert mode
i
Insert at the beginning of the line
l
Insert (append) after the cursor
a
Insert (append) at the end of the line
A
Append (open) a new line below the current line
o
Append (open) a new line above the current line
O
Insert (append) at the end of the word
ea
Exit insert mode
Esc
Vim Commands for Insert Mode (Insert Text)
Toggle case (Case => cASE)
–
Uppercase
gU
Lowercase
gu
Uppercase current line (also gUgU)
gUU
Lowercase current line (also gugu)
guu
Vim Commands for Change Case
Start visual mode, mark lines, then do a command (like y-yank)
v
Start linewise visual mode
V
Move to other end of marked area
vo
Start visual block mode
Ctrl v
Move to other corner of block
vO
Mark a word
vaw
Mark a block with ()
vab
Mark a block with {}
vaB
Mark inner block with ()
vib
Mark inner block with {}
viB
Exit visual mode
Esc
Vim Commands for Visual Mode (Mark Text)
Shift text right
>
Shift text left
<
Auto-indent current line
==
Shift current line left by shiftwidth
<<
Shift current line right by shiftwidth
>>
Yank (copy) marked text
y
Delete marked text
d
Switch case
–
Vim Commands for Visual Commands
Create a fold from the cursor down # lines
zf#j
String creates a fold from the cursor to string
zf/
Move the cursor to the next fold
zj
Move the cursor to the previous fold
zk
Toggle a fold under cursor
za
Open a fold at the cursor
zo
Open all folds at the cursor
zO
Close a fold under cursor
zc
Increase the foldlevel by one
zm
Close all open folds
zM
Decrease the foldlevel by one
zr
Decrease the foldlevel to zero – all folds will be open
zR
Delete the fold at the cursor
zd
Delete all folds
zE
Move to start of open fold
[z
Move to end of open fold
]z
Vim Commands for Folding Commands
Move to tab number #
#gt
Move the current split window into its own tab
Ctrl w, t
Move current tab to the #th position (indexed from 0)
:tabmove #
Open a file in a new tab
:tabnew filename / :tabn filename
Close the current tab and all its windows
:tabclose / :tabc
Close all tabs except the current one
:tabonly / :tabo
Move to the next tab
gt/ :tabnext / :tabn
Move to the previous tab
gT/ :tabprev / :tabp
Vim Commands for Tabs
Edit a file in a new buffer
:e filename
Open a blank file for editing
:ene
Go to the next buffer
:bnext / :bn
Go to the previous buffer
:bprev / :pb
Delete a buffer (close a file)
:bd
Open a file in a new buffer and split window
:sp filename
Open a file in a new buffer and vertically split window
:vs filename
Split window
Ctrl w, s
Switch windows
Ctrl w, w
Quit a window
Ctrl w, q
Split window vertically
Ctrl w, v
Move cursor to window left
Ctrl w, h
Move cursor to window right
Ctrl w, l
Move cursor to window above
Ctrl w, k
Move cursor to window below
Ctrl w, j
Rotate windows clockwise
Ctrl w, r
Move current window to a new tab
Ctrl w, T
Close all windows except current window
:on
Maximize width of active window
Ctrl w, |
Minimize width of active window
Ctrl w, 1, |
Maximize height of active window
Ctrl w, _
Minimize height of active window
Ctrl w, 1, _
Equalize the size of windows
Ctrl w, =
Vim Commands for Working with Multiple Files
Write (save) the file, but don’t exit
:w
Write (save) and quit
:wq
Write (save) current file if modified and quit
:x OR ZZ
Quit (fails if there are unsaved changes)
:q
Quit and discard unsaved changes
:q!
Quit all buffers and windows
:qa
Quit without checking for changes
ZQ
Vim Commands for Exiting a File
Tmux commands
Default prefix key
Ctrl + b
Show time (ESC returns to the terminal)
t
Enter a command (Example: “:new-session”)
:
List all commands that tmux supports
list-commands
Tmux Commands for General
An open command prompt (or pseudo-terminal). Panes may appear side by side or vertically stacked inside a window
Pane
Your view of open panes
Window
A set of open windows
Session
The background process that displays your session
Client
A single server manages all open session (Servers and clients are separate processes that each communicates through a socket in /tmp)
Server
Tmux Commands for Tmux Terms
Split screen or pane in half vertically, creating a new pane on the right
%
Split screen or pane in half horizontally, creating a new pane at the bottom
“
Switch to the adjacent pane
<arrow key>
Switch to the next pane
o
Show pane numbers (when numbers appear, press number to switch to that pane)
q
Move current pane to the left
{
Move current pane to the right
}
Close the current pane
x
Resize pane in steps of one cell
Ctrl + <arrow key>
Resize pane in steps of five cells
Alt + <arrow key>
Arrange panes in the even-horizontal preset layout
Alt + 1
Arrange panes in the even-vertical preset layout
Alt + 2
Arrange panes in the main-horizontal preset layout
Alt + 3
Arrange panes in the main-vertical preset layout
Alt + 4
Arrange panes in the tiled preset layout
Alt + 5
Tmux Commands for Creating and Managing Panes
Create a new window
c
Detach pane into a new window
!
Switch to the previous window (in order of creation)
n
Switch to the next window (in order of creation)
p
Switch to the window used most recently
l
List all windows and their corresponding numbers
w
Switch to the corresponding window
<window number>
Rename current window
,
Display info about the current window
i
Search for text in open windows (ESC exits the search)
f
Tmux Commands for Creating and Managing Windows
Create a new session
new-session
Rename current session
$
List open sessions
list-session
Create a new client and attach it to the specified session (-t target-session)
attach-session
Detach clients attached to the current session
detach-client-session
Destroy the current or specified session
kill-session
Tmux Commands for Creating and Managing Sessions
Published by Lisa Turnbull
, always been a Windows lover since her childhood days. I have always been enthusiastic about emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science and Machine Learning. I am working as a freelancer on numerous technical projects. View more posts
