20 Essential Linux Terminal Tricks to Boost Your Productivity

In this article the author shares a collection of twenty Linux terminal shortcuts designed to save time and improve workflow for users of any skill level.

1. Tab completion

Press Tab while typing a command or filename to auto‑complete the rest of the word based on the current input.

2. Return to previous directory

cd -

The cd - command switches back to the last working directory without re‑typing the full path.

3. Jump to home directory

cd ~

or simply cd, which is pre‑configured in most modern shells.

4. List directory contents quickly

Instead of ls -l, many distributions provide the ll alias for a detailed listing.

5. Run multiple commands in one line

command_1; command_2; command_3

Separate commands with a semicolon to execute them sequentially without waiting for each to finish.

6. Conditional chaining (run next only if previous succeeds)

command_1 && command_2

Typical use: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

7. Reverse search command history

Press Ctrl + R and type a keyword to search previously entered commands.

8. Unfreeze a terminal stopped by Ctrl+S

Press Ctrl+Q to resume output.

9. Jump to line start or end

Use Ctrl+A for the beginning and Ctrl+E for the end of the current line.

10. Follow a log file in real time

tail -F linuxidc_log

This is equivalent to --follow=name --retry, continuing after file rotation.

11. View compressed logs without extracting

zcat linuxidc_log.zip | more

Commands like zless, zcat, and zgrep operate directly on gzip files.

12. Use less for large files

less -N linuxidc.txt

less

provides paging, searching, line numbers, and optional editing with v.

13. Reuse the last argument of the previous command

!$

Useful after creating a directory: mkdir newdir && cd !$.

14. Repeat the previous command

!!

Combine with sudo to quickly rerun a command with elevated privileges.

15. Create aliases to fix typos

alias gerp=grep

Now typing gerp runs grep automatically.

16. Copy‑paste shortcuts in terminals

Select text and right‑click to paste (PuTTY, many Windows SSH clients).

Select text and middle‑click to paste. Ctrl+Shift+C to copy, Ctrl+Shift+V to paste.

17. Abort a running command

Press Ctrl+C to terminate the current process.

18. Empty a file without deleting it

> filename

19. Search for a string inside files

grep -Pri "search_string" path

20. Access command‑specific help

$ bc -help

Nearly every command provides a built‑in help page that explains its usage and options.

These tips work on most Linux distributions and shells without requiring additional tools.