Editing Files

Let's learn how to edit files without leaving the terminal.

When you need to change a file, you need a text editor. Linux has many terminal-based editors. Here are the most common ones.

Built-in editors: Comparison¶

Editor	Learning Curve	Best For	Key Feature
Nano	Low (beginner-friendly)	Beginners, quick config edits	Shortcuts shown at the bottom
Vim	High (steep learning curve)	Power users, developers	Modal editing (super fast once learned)

Recommendation: Start with Nano. It's installed everywhere and works like a simple notepad. You can learn Vim later if you want to.

Nano Editor¶

nano myfile.txt

If myfile.txt exists, Nano opens it.
If it doesn't exist, Nano creates it when you save.

Essential Nano Shortcuts¶

When time comes you will get into the rabbit whole of editors. For now here are some shortcuts.

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl`+`X`	Exit (asks to save if changes exist)
`Ctrl`+`O`	Save ("Write Out" the file)
`Ctrl`+`W`	Search for text
`Ctrl`+`K`	Cut the current line
`Ctrl`+`U`	Paste the cut line
`Ctrl`+`_`	Go to a specific line number
`Ctrl`+`C`	Show cursor position (line/column)
`Ctrl`+`G`	Open help menu

Lost in Nano?

Look at the bottom two lines of your terminal. Nano shows shortcuts there.

Vim Editor¶

Optional - Want more power? Try Vim

Vim is another terminal editor. If it's your first time you will feel lost using it. It has a steep learning curve but is very powerful.

Vim is a modal editor, meaning it has different "modes" for different tasks. This is the biggest difference from Nano and the main reason for its steep learning curve.

vi myfile.txt

If myfile.txt exists, Vim opens it.
If it doesn't exist, Vim creates it when you save.

A short follow along:

Step	Action
1	Press `i` (enter Insert mode)
2	Type `Hello World from Vim`
3	Press `Esc` (back to Normal mode)
4	Type `:wq` + `Enter` (save and quit)

Vim deserves a full course since it has many many features. There's a meme that people use Vim to this day because they were never able to quit Vim.