Master Ubuntu Terminal: Essential Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity
Discover a comprehensive collection of Ubuntu terminal keyboard shortcuts—including command-line navigation, editing, and window management—as well as handy shortcuts for common applications like Orca screen reader, Firefox, Gedit, and Nautilus, enabling faster, more efficient Linux workflow.
Terminal Shortcuts
Ctrl+Alt+T – Open a new terminal window.
Tab – Auto‑complete commands or file names.
Ctrl+A – Move cursor to the beginning of the line.
Ctrl+E – Move cursor to the end of the line.
Ctrl+K – Delete from cursor to the end of the line.
Ctrl+U – Delete from cursor to the beginning of the line.
Ctrl+D – Delete the character under the cursor or close the terminal.
Ctrl+H – Delete the character before the cursor.
Ctrl+W – Delete the word to the left of the cursor.
Ctrl+Y – Paste the last deleted text.
Ctrl+L – Clear the screen (same as the clear command).
Ctrl+R – Search command history.
Ctrl+Shift+T – Open a new tab.
Ctrl+Shift+N – Open a new terminal window.
Ctrl+Shift+W – Close the current tab.
Shift+PageUp / Shift+PageDown – Scroll the terminal output.
Alt+F2 – Run a command (e.g., gnome-terminal).
F1 – Open the help guide.
F11 – Toggle full‑screen mode.
Desktop Shortcuts
Alt+F1 – Focus the left‑hand task bar.
Alt+F2 – Run a command.
Alt+F4 – Close the current window.
Alt+Tab – Switch between open applications.
Alt+Space – Open the window menu.
Print – Take a screenshot of the desktop.
Super+A – Open the application overview (search or browse programs).
Super+F – Search or browse files.
Super+M – Search or browse music files.
Orca Screen Reader Shortcuts
Super+A, type orca, Enter – Launch Orca.
Insert (or Caps Lock) + Space – Open Orca preferences.
Insert + T – Read the current time.
Insert + TT – Read the current date.
Insert + S – Toggle speech synthesis.
Insert + / – Read the title of the focused window.
Insert + // – Read the status bar.
Insert + ; – Read the entire document.
Insert + Q – Quit Orca.
Firefox Browser Shortcuts
Super+A, type firefox, Enter – Launch Firefox.
Ctrl+T – Open a new tab.
Ctrl+W – Close the current tab.
Ctrl+Shift+T – Reopen the last closed tab.
Ctrl+Tab – Switch to the next tab.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab – Switch to the previous tab.
Alt+1‑8 – Jump to a specific tab.
Alt+9 – Jump to the last tab.
Ctrl+L – Focus the address bar.
Esc – Stop loading the current page.
Ctrl+K – Focus the search engine box.
Ctrl+F – Find text on the page.
Ctrl+D – Bookmark the page.
Alt+Left Arrow – Go back.
Alt+Right Arrow – Go forward.
Ctrl+Q – Quit Firefox.
Gedit Text Editor Shortcuts
Super+A, type gedit, Enter – Launch Gedit.
Ctrl+N – Create a new document.
Ctrl+W – Close the current document.
Ctrl+S – Save the document.
Ctrl+Shift+S – Save As.
Ctrl+F – Find text.
Ctrl+H – Find and replace.
Ctrl+I – Go to a specific line.
Ctrl+C – Copy.
Ctrl+V – Paste.
Ctrl+X – Cut.
Ctrl+Q – Quit Gedit.
Nautilus File Manager Shortcuts
Super+1 – Open Nautilus if it is pinned to the left launcher.
Super+A, type nautilus, Enter – Launch Nautilus.
F2 – Rename the selected file or folder.
Ctrl+1 – Switch to icon view.
Ctrl+2 – Switch to list view.
Ctrl+T – Open a new tab.
Ctrl+W – Close the current tab.
Ctrl+D – Add the folder to bookmarks.
Ctrl+Q – Quit Nautilus.
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
This article has been distilled and summarized from source material, then republished for learning and reference. If you believe it infringes your rights, please contactand we will review it promptly.
MaGe Linux Operations
Founded in 2009, MaGe Education is a top Chinese high‑end IT training brand. Its graduates earn 12K+ RMB salaries, and the school has trained tens of thousands of students. It offers high‑pay courses in Linux cloud operations, Python full‑stack, automation, data analysis, AI, and Go high‑concurrency architecture. Thanks to quality courses and a solid reputation, it has talent partnerships with numerous internet firms.
How this landed with the community
Was this worth your time?
0 Comments
Thoughtful readers leave field notes, pushback, and hard-won operational detail here.