How to edit a file in the Linux terminal
Jul 06, 2025 am 12:36 AM
There are three common ways to edit files in a Linux terminal: 1. Use nano, enter nano filename.txt to open or create a new file, ^O save, ^X exit; 2. Use vim, enter vim filename.txt to enter normal mode and press i to enter insert mode. After editing, press Esc to enter:wq to save and exit or:q! to exit without saving; 3. Use cat to cooperate with redirection, cat > filename.txt to overwrite the write content, cat >> filename.txt append the write content. These tools are suitable for scenes where quick editing, full feature editing, and temporary text additions are respectively.
Editing files is a very common operation in Linux terminals, especially for people who often use servers or command line environments. Although the graphical interface is more intuitive, mastering the file editing method under the terminal will be more efficient and flexible.
Edit files using nano
nano is a simple and easy to use text editor for beginners. You just need to enter in the terminal:
nano filename.txt
If the file exists, it will open; if it does not exist, it will create a new empty file.
After entering, you will see some shortcut key prompts at the bottom, such as:
-
^O(Ctrl O) Save the file -
^X(Ctrl X) Exit the editor - If you modify the content but want to exit but do not save it, you can press
Ctrl Xand select "N"
This method is especially suitable for quickly modifying configuration files or writing scripts.
Use vim to edit files
vim is another commonly used terminal editor with a powerful feature but a slightly steep learning curve. You can open the file like this:
vim filename.txt
It was "normal mode" just now and you can't enter text directly. You need to press i key to enter "insert mode" to start editing.
After completing the editing:
- Press
Escto return to normal mode - Enter
:wqand enter to save and exit - If you do not want to save, enter
:q!Forced exit without saving
It may not be easy at first, but once you get familiar with it, it is very efficient, especially when modifying files on remote servers.
Other alternatives: use cat with redirection
If you just want to add a few lines to the file quickly, you don't have to use an editor. You can use the cat command to cooperate with redirection:
cat > filename.txt
Then enter the content, and finally press Ctrl D to end the input. This will write the input content to the file at once and is suitable for simple text records.
If you want to append content instead of overwriting existing files, you can use two larger than numbers instead:
cat >> filename.txt
Basically that's it. Different tools can be selected for different scenarios. nano is quick to use and vim has complete functions, while cat is more suitable for writing something temporarily. Master these methods and you will be fine with processing files in the terminal.
The above is the detailed content of How to edit a file in the Linux terminal. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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