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. |
