Customize Your Bash Prompt: Add Time, Colors, and Permanent Settings

Linux terminals display a command prompt that can be customized through the PS1 shell variable. Bash reads PS1 to show the first prompt before each command.

Viewing the current prompt

echo $PS1
[\u@\h \W]\$

The output shows escape sequences that Bash expands when displaying the prompt.

Understanding PS1 escape sequences

\u – current username

\h – hostname (short)

\W – current working directory (basename)

$ – displays # for root, otherwise

$

Adding time to the prompt

To include the 24‑hour time, append the following command to ~/.bashrc and reload the file:

echo 'export PS1="[\\u@\\h \\W \\A]\\$ "' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

After reloading, the prompt shows the current time as shown in the image below.

Making changes permanent

For a user‑specific permanent change, place the export PS1=… line in ~/.bashrc. To apply it system‑wide for all users, edit /etc/bash.bashrc or /etc/bashrc.

Adding colors to the prompt

ANSI escape codes can colorize the prompt. For example, a red prompt is set with: export PS1="\e[0;31m[\\u@\\h \\W]\\$ \e[m " Common color codes are:

'\e[0;30m' # black
'\e[0;31m' # red
'\e[0;32m' # green
'\e[0;33m' # yellow
'\e[0;34m' # blue
'\e[0;35m' # magenta
'\e[0;36m' # cyan
'\e[0;37m' # white
'\e[1;30m' # bright black (bold)
'\e[1;31m' # bright red (bold)
'\e[1;32m' # bright green (bold)
'\e[1;33m' # bright yellow (bold)
'\e[1;34m' # bright blue (bold)
'\e[1;35m' # bright magenta (bold)
'\e[1;36m' # bright cyan (bold)
'\e[1;37m' # bright white (bold)
'\e[4;30m' # black underline
'\e[4;31m' # red underline
'\e[40m'   # black background
'\e[41m'   # red background
'\e[0m'    # reset to default

Customizing each part with different colors

Each component of the prompt can have its own color. The following example colors the username red, the hostname magenta, the directory green, and the $ sign bold yellow:

export PS1="\e[31m[\\u\e[m@\e[35m\\h \e[32m\\W]\e[1;33m\\$\e[m "

The color codes used are:

\e[31m – red for the username

\e[m – reset (used after the @ symbol)

\e[35m – magenta for the hostname

\e[32m – green for the current directory

\e[1;33m – bold yellow for the $ sign

By combining these sequences, you can create a Bash prompt that displays the information you need in colors that suit your preferences.