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Linux Keyboard Shortcuts: Top Combinations for Users

16 Jan 2026
Hostman Team
Hostman Team

Keyboard shortcuts in Linux are a great tool that can help you work more efficiently. Instead of using the mouse and navigating the menus, you can often press a couple of buttons to get you to the same result much quicker.

Linux operating systems support a wide range of these shortcuts, or hotkeys. It’s important to note that each OS can have specific hotkeys that might not work in other distributions. However, you can fix that as users can add new or modify existing combinations in their system settings.

In this article, we will cover universal key combinations that are universal across different desktop environments. Most of the Linux hotkeys we examine are focused on working with the terminal.

Basic Linux Shortcuts
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Let’s start with basic general-purpose shortcuts. They help perform repetitive tasks more quickly.

  • Alt + Tab or Super + Tab: Switches between windows. Similar to the function in Windows and other OSes.
  • Super + Space: Switches between multiple keyboard layouts.
  • Super + A: Opens the applications menu (usually located in the bottom left corner).
  • F2: Used to rename files. Navigate to the file, click it once, then press F2 to rename.
  • Ctrl + Alt + T: One of the most important and popular Linux shortcuts that opens the terminal window.
  • Alt + F2: Opens a command prompt window in the center of the screen, where you can run a command or open a program.
  • Super + D: Minimizes all windows to show the desktop.
  • Ctrl + Alt + Del: Brings up a prompt with “Cancel” and “Log Out” options. The system logs out automatically if no selection is made within 60 seconds.

These combinations help any specialist work more efficiently in Linux. But let’s move on to the more useful terminal-related hotkeys.

Linux Terminal Shortcuts
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The terminal in Linux is the primary tool for interacting with the command shell. Below are terminal hotkeys that will help you work more efficiently.

Terminal Window Management
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These shortcuts help open, switch, and close terminal tabs and windows quickly:

  • Ctrl + Shift + Q: Completely closes the terminal window.
  • Ctrl + Shift + T: Opens a new terminal tab.
  • Ctrl + Shift + W: Closes the current terminal tab (or window if only one tab is open).
  • Ctrl + Shift + D: Detaches the terminal tab into a separate window.
  • Ctrl + PgUp / PgDown: Switches between terminal tabs (previous/next).

Cursor Movement in a Line
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Linux users primarily use the keyboard in the terminal. To avoid switching to the mouse, here are some shortcuts for faster cursor navigation:

  • Ctrl + A (or Home): Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
  • Ctrl + E (or End): Moves the cursor to the end of the line.
  • Ctrl + XX: Quickly moves the cursor to the beginning of the line; using it again returns it to the original position.
  • Ctrl + → / ← or Alt + F / B: The first pair moves the cursor one word forward or backward. The second pair does the same using the Alt key.

Input and Editing
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In addition to quickly moving the cursor along the line, you can also simplify input and editing of commands. 

  • TAB: One of the main hotkeys in the Linux terminal, used for auto-completing commands or file paths. Pressing once completes the command; pressing twice suggests multiple completion options if available.
  • Ctrl + T: Swaps the last two characters before the cursor.
  • Alt + T: Similar to the previous shortcut but swaps the last two words before the cursor.
  • Alt + Backspace: Deletes the word before the cursor.
  • Alt + D: Deletes all characters after the cursor up to the next space.
  • Alt + U / Alt + L: The first changes all characters to the right of the cursor to uppercase; the second to lowercase.

Clipboard Operations
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These shortcuts allow interaction with the clipboard in the terminal: copying, cutting, or pasting parts of a line or the entire line.

  • Ctrl + W: Deletes the word before the cursor.
  • Ctrl + U: Deletes everything from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
  • Ctrl + K: Deletes everything from the cursor to the end of the line.
  • Ctrl + Y: Pastes the last deleted text from the clipboard using one of the three commands above.

Command History Navigation
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Hotkeys also help interact with the command history in the terminal. This is useful when searching for previously used commands.

To view the list of executed commands, use:

history

To quickly find and execute a previously used command, use the shortcuts below:

  • Ctrl + R: Opens a search prompt to find a previously used command. Press Enter to run it, or Esc to edit or exit.
  • Ctrl + O: Executes the command found using the shortcut above.
  • Alt + <: Loads the first command from the command history.

Screen Output Management
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The following shortcuts control the amount of information displayed in the terminal window and help focus on specific data even during a running process.

  • Ctrl + C: Sends the SIGINT signal to the active process, immediately interrupting it.
  • Ctrl + D: An alternative to exit, used to close the terminal. Often used in SSH sessions to disconnect from a remote host.
  • Ctrl + Z: Suspends the active process and sends it to the background. Use the fg command to bring it back. Use jobs to list background processes.
  • Ctrl + L: An alternative to the clear command, clears the terminal screen.
  • Ctrl + S / Ctrl + Q: Ctrl + S pauses the terminal output; Ctrl + Q resumes it. Useful for stopping the screen output temporarily to examine or copy information.

Adding and Modifying Hotkeys
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A Linux user may find that some combinations do not work or are missing entirely. Hotkeys may differ depending on the distribution as each system includes a default list of predefined shortcuts. However, in most Linux environments, users can create new shortcuts or modify existing ones. 

  1. Use Super + A to open the application menu.
  2. Use the search bar to find and open Settings.
  3. In the opened window, find and go to the Devices tab.
  4. Go to the Keyboard section. On the right side, a list of default hotkeys will appear.
  5. Click on any command to open the editing window and assign a new shortcut.
  6. If the desired command is not listed, you can add a custom one by clicking the + at the bottom. Enter its name, the command to execute, and the key combination.

Conclusion
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This article reviewed the main Linux hotkeys that simplify and speed up user workflow. It’s important to note that this is not a complete list. In addition to those listed, there are other combinations that cover different functionalities in Linux distributions.

And if you’re looking for a reliable, high-performance, and budget-friendly solution for your workflows, Hostman has you covered with Linux VPS Hosting options, including Debian VPS, Ubuntu VPS, and VPS CentOS.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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What are the common shortcut keys for Linux? 
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While they vary by desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, etc.), standard global shortcuts include:

  • Ctrl+Alt+T: Open a new Terminal window.

  • Alt+Tab: Switch between open applications.

  • Super Key (Windows Key): Open the Activities overview or Application menu.

  • Alt+F4: Close the current window.

What are the Linux shortcut keys for the terminal? 
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Terminal shortcuts differ from standard text editors. Key commands include:

  • Ctrl+Shift+C / V: Copy and Paste text (standard Ctrl+C/V won't work).

  • Ctrl+C: Interrupt (kill) the currently running process.

  • Ctrl+L: Clear the terminal screen.

  • Ctrl+A / Ctrl+E: Jump the cursor to the start or end of the line.

How to set keyboard shortcuts in Linux? 
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Open your system Settings and select Keyboard. Scroll to the "Keyboard Shortcuts" section (sometimes under "View and Customize Shortcuts"). Here you can modify existing keys or add a custom shortcut by defining a command and pressing the desired key combination.

How to use shortcuts on Linux? 
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Simply press the modifier keys (like Ctrl, Alt, or Super) and the action key simultaneously. Note that Linux shortcuts are case-sensitive regarding the Shift key; for example, Ctrl+c is different from Ctrl+Shift+C.