In bash, how does one clear the current input?

bash input
user85509 picture user85509 · Jun 29, 2009 · Viewed 39.3k times · Source

Suppose in bash you start writing a command like:

$ rm -rf /foo/bar/really/long/path/here

and then realize you don't want to execute this after all. Is there a way to clear the input with one or two keystrokes?

What I have been doing lately is prepending echo and enclosing the input in quotes (Ctrl+A, echo ", Ctrl+E, ") then hitting enter. Is there a faster way?

Answer

John Kugelman picture John Kugelman · Jun 29, 2009

  1. Press Ctrl-U to delete everything before the cursor. The deleted command will be stored into a buffer. Press Ctrl-Y to paste the deleted command.

    (Optional: Press End or Ctrl-E to jump to the end of the input first.)

  2. Alternatively, press Ctrl-C to abort what you're typing.

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