7 Bash History Shortcuts to Quickly Fix Mistyped Commands

1. Retrieve the last argument with !$

The !$ token expands to the last argument of the previous command. For example, after a failed mv /path/to/错误的文件 /some/other/place, you can reuse the correct file name without retyping it:

$ mv /path/to/对的文件 !$
mv /path/to/对的文件 /some/other/place

2. Access the n‑th argument using !:n

Position parameters can be referenced with !:0 (the command itself), !:1 (first option), etc. This lets you reorder arguments without re‑entering long strings. Example:

$ !:0 !:1 !:3 !:2
tar -cvf afolder.tar afolder

3. Get all arguments with !:1-$

!:1-$

expands to every argument after the command name. It is handy when you typed the wrong command but want to keep the same arguments, e.g. converting a mistaken zip invocation to tar:

$ tar !:1-$
# expands to: tar -cvf afolder.tar afolder

You can also select a subset, such as !:1-2 or !:3-9, when only part of the argument list is needed.

4. Retrieve arguments from the n‑th previous command with !-n:$

The !-n reference points to the command entered n lines ago. Combined with :$, it returns the last argument of that command. Example:

$ mv /path/to/rightfile !-2:$
# expands to the path from two commands earlier

5. Extract the directory part of the last argument using !$:h

When a command fails because a file does not exist, !$:h gives the directory component of the last argument, allowing you to cd directly there:

$ cd !$:h
# becomes: cd /etc

6. Fetch the first element of the current line with !#:1

For commands where the first argument repeats (e.g., copying a file and then creating a backup), !#:1 inserts that first argument, saving keystrokes:

$ cp /path/to/file !#:1.bak
# expands to: cp /path/to/file /path/to/file.bak

7. Substitute a string in the previous command using !!:gs/old/new/

The !!:gs modifier performs a global substitution on the most recent command. To replace the typo f with s:

$ !!:gs/f/s/
# becomes: echo my s key does not work

You can chain substitutions, e.g., !!:gs/does/did/, to correct multiple parts at once.

Conclusion

By mastering these seven Bash history‑expansion shortcuts, Linux users can correct long or complex commands with a few keystrokes, dramatically improving command‑line productivity.