Linux veterans understand that the keyboard is mightier than the mouse because there are many actions that take multiple mouse clicks but can be accomplished with a single keyboard shortcut. Learning at least a handful of keyboard shortcuts can make you significantly more productive as a Linux user and earn you serious bragging rights in the Linux community.
Note: The Windows log key that sits between CTRL and ALT on most PC keyboards is referred to as the Super key in this article.
General Linux Shortcuts
| Ctrl C |
Copy any highlighted text, image, or some other object to the clipboard. |
| Ctrl V |
Paste copied text, image, or some other object from the clipboard. |
| Ctrl X |
Cut highlighted text, image, or some other object. |
| Ctrl S |
Save the currently opened file. |
| Ctrl N |
Create a new file. |
| Ctrl Z |
Undo the last action. |
| Ctrl Q |
Quit the application in focus. |
| Ctrl Alt F1 to F6 |
Switch to a virtual console. |
| Ctrl Alt F7 |
Switch to the first graphical terminal. |
GNOME Keyboard Shortcuts
| Super |
Enter the Activities Overview. |
| Alt Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Alt Shift Tab |
Cycle between running applications in the opposite direction. |
| Alt ` (grave accent) |
Cycle between windows of the same application in Alt Tab. |
| Alt F1 |
Open the Applications menu. |
| Alt F2 |
Open a floating command prompt. |
| PrtSc |
Take a screenshot of the entire screen. |
| Alt PrtSc |
Take a screenshot of the window in focus. |
| Ctrl Alt Arrow keys |
Switch between workspaces. |
| Ctrl Alt D |
Minimize all windows to show desktop. |
KDE Keyboard Shortcuts
| Super |
Open the Application Launcher. |
| Alt Space |
Bing up the Command Interface. |
| Ctrl Esc |
Open the System Activity utility. |
| Super Alt Arrow keys |
Switch between windows. |
| Ctrl F1 to F4 |
Switch between virtual desktops. |
| Super Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Super Shift Tab |
Cycle between running applications in the opposite direction. |
| Ctrl Alt L |
Lock the current session. |
| Ctrl Alt Shift Del |
Instantly log out without confirmation. |
| Ctrl Alt Shift Page Up |
Instantly reboot without confirmation. |
Xfce Keyboard Shortcuts
| Super P |
Open Xfce display settings. |
| Alt F2 |
Open a command prompt. |
| Ctrl Alt Arrow keys |
Move between virtual desktops. |
| Alt Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Alt Shift Tab |
Cycle between running applications in the opposite direction. |
| Alt F4 |
Close the window in focus. |
| Alt F10 |
Maximize the window in focus. |
| Ctrl Alt D |
Minimize all windows to show desktop. |
| Ctrl Alt Del |
Lock the current session. |
| Ctrl Esc |
Display context menu. |
LXDE Keyboard Shortcuts
| Ctrl Alt T |
Launch Terminal. |
| Shift Alt Arrow keys |
Move the window in focus between virtual desktops. |
| Ctrl Alt Arrow keys |
Move between virtual desktops. |
| Alt Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Alt Shift Tab |
Cycle between running applications in the opposite direction. |
| Alt F4 |
Close the window in focus. |
| Alt Esc |
Hide the window in focus. |
| Super D |
Minimize all windows to show desktop. |
| Super E |
Launch the default file browser. |
| F11 |
Toggle Fullscreen. |
Cinnamon Keyboard Shortcuts (Linux Mint)
| Ctrl Alt Down |
Show all currently running applications on the selected workspace. |
| Ctrl Alt Up |
Show running applications across all workspaces. |
| Alt Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Shift Alt Tab. |
Cycle between running applications in the opposite direction. |
| Alt F2 |
Open a command prompt. |
| Alt F4 |
Close the window in focus. |
| Super L |
Open the Cinnamon Debugger. |
| Super D |
Minimize all windows to show desktop. |
| Ctrl Super Arrow keys |
Span the window in focus to a border. |
| Shift Ctrl Alt Left or Right Arrow |
Move the window in focus to the workspace on the left or right. |
Bash Keyboard Shortcuts
| Ctrl A |
Go to the beginning of the selected line. |
| Ctrl E |
Go to the end of the selected line. |
| Ctrl K |
Cut the part of the selected line after the cursor and copy it to the clipboard. |
| Arrow Up |
Previously used command. |
| Alt B |
Move the cursor back one word. |
| Alt F |
Move the cursor forward one word. |
| Ctrl L |
Clean the current screen. |
| Ctrl J |
Enter the Newline control character. |
| Ctrl R |
Search in your Bash history. |
| Ctrl G |
Exit the history searching mode. |
Ubuntu Keyboard Shortcuts
| Super |
Open Activities. |
| Alt F2 |
Open a command prompt. |
| Alt Tab |
Cycle between running applications. |
| Super Arrow keys |
Snap the window in focus to a border. |
| PrtSc |
Take a screenshot of the entire screen. |
| Alt PrtSc |
Take a screenshot of the window in focus. |
| Shift PrtSc |
Take a screenshot of a selected area on the screen. |
| Ctrl Alt T |
Launch Terminal. |
| Super L |
Lock the current session. |
| Super D |
Minimize all windows to show desktop. |
Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts
| Backspace |
Go back. |
| F5 or Ctrl R |
Reload the current page. |
| Ctrl P |
Print the current page. |
| Ctrl S |
Save the current page. |
| Ctrl F |
Find text on the current page. |
| Ctrl K |
Bring the search bar into focus. |
| Ctrl W |
Close the current tab. |
| Ctrl N |
Open a new tab. |
| Ctrl Shift P |
Open a new private window. |
| Ctrl Shift Q |
Exit Firefox. |
ChromeOS Keyboard Shortcuts (Chromebook)
| Ctrl Shift L |
Lock the current session. |
| Ctrl Shift Q |
Log out from the current session. |
| Alt 1 to 8 |
Launch an application from the taskbar. |
| Alt [ or ] |
Dock the window in focus to the left or right side of the screen. |
| Ctrl F5 |
Take a screenshot of the entire screen. |
| Ctrl Shift F5 |
Take a screenshot of a selected area on the screen. |
| Shift Alt M |
Open the Files app. |
| Shift Alt N |
Display notifications. |
| Ctrl Alt |
Display all keyboard shortcuts. |
| Shift Esc |
Open the Task Manager. |
