There are a bazillion hidden gems in Linux Terminals.  When getting started its easy to forget how much has been done to make your life easy and simply stick with what you know.  I went for years without knowing Ctrl-R – and now, I can’t live without it.

Here are some top level ones to try out today.

Ctrl-R – Search back through your command history.

Ctrl-A – Jump to the start of your entry.

Ctrl-E – Jump to the end of your entry.

This article has a great list of others you should peruse:

HowToGeek – Survey of key combinations.

Another trick to keep in your toolbox – say you’ve entered a command but then realized that you forgot a step.  Use Ctrl-A to jump to the beginning, insert a “#” symbol there and press enter.

That simple bit turns the command into a “comment” – storing it into your history, allowing you to enter the missed step, then simply walk back into your history to get at the command again.

Have fun!