Kali Linux Terminal Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
Navigation Shortcuts
Ctrl + A | Move to the beginning of the line. |
Ctrl + E | Move to the end of the line. |
Ctrl + U | Clear the text before the cursor. |
Ctrl + K | Clear the text after the cursor. |
Ctrl + W | Delete the word before the cursor. |
Ctrl + D | Delete the character at the cursor. |
Ctrl + H | Backspace (delete one character). |
Alt + B | Move back one word. |
Alt + F | Move forward one word. |
Ctrl + Left Arrow | Move back one word. |
Ctrl + Right Arrow | Move forward one word. |
Editing Shortcuts
Ctrl + Y | Paste the most recently deleted text. |
Ctrl + T | Swap the last two characters before the cursor. |
Alt + T | Swap the last two words before the cursor. |
Alt + Backspace | Delete the word before the cursor. |
Alt + D | Delete the word after the cursor. |
Clipboard and Copy-Paste
Ctrl + Shift + C | Copy selected text. |
Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste copied text. |
Ctrl + Insert | Copy selected text. |
Shift + Insert | Paste copied text. |
Process Management
Ctrl + C | Interrupt and terminate the current process. |
Ctrl + Z | Suspend the current process. |
Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal screen. |
Command History
Ctrl + R | Search backward through command history. |
Ctrl + P | Recall the previous command. |
Ctrl + N | Recall the next command. |
Ctrl + O | Execute the current command and fetch the next one in history. |
!! | Execute the last command again. |
!n | Execute the command at position n in history. |
!<command> | Run the most recent command starting with <command> |
Ctrl + G | Cancel the reverse search. |
Tab Management (if using terminal with tabs)
Ctrl + Shift + T | Open a new terminal tab. |
Ctrl + Shift + W | Close the current terminal tab. |
Ctrl + Page Up | Switch to the previous tab. |
Ctrl + Page Down | Switch to the next tab. |
Alt + Left Arrow | Move to the previous terminal tab. |
Alt + Right Arrow | Move to the next terminal tab. |
Terminal Sessions and Window Management
Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new terminal window. |
Ctrl + Shift + Q | Quit the terminal application. |
Ctrl + Alt + T | Open a new terminal (from desktop). |
Advanced Shortcuts
Ctrl + X + E | Open the current command in your default text editor for editing. |
Ctrl + S | Pause terminal output. |
Ctrl + Q | Resume terminal output. |
Ctrl + J | Execute the command without pressing Enter. |
Miscellaneous Shortcuts
Ctrl + G | Abort the current action |
Ctrl + M | Enter a newline (acts like pressing Enter). |
Ctrl + D | Exit the terminal (if no text is present). |
Ctrl + _ | Undo the last editing action. |