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Ubuntu Linux Keyboard Shortcuts — Complete Cheat Sheet
Ubuntu Linux keyboard shortcuts for GNOME, Terminal, workspaces, screenshots, and window management.
147 shortcuts across 11 categories
Ubuntu Linux keyboard shortcuts for GNOME, Terminal, workspaces, screenshots, and window management.
Editing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cut the selected item to the clipboard |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Copy the selected item to the clipboard |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Paste the clipboard contents at the cursor |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Undo the last action |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo the previously undone action |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Select all items or text in the current context |
| Delete | Delete | Delete the selected item or character after cursor |
| Delete Word Left | Ctrl + Backspace | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Bold | Ctrl + B | Toggle bold formatting in text editors |
| Italic | Ctrl + I | Toggle italic formatting in text editors |
| Underline | Ctrl + U | Toggle underline formatting in text editors |
| Copy (Terminal) | Ctrl + Shift + C | Copy selected text in the terminal |
| Paste (Terminal) | Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste text in the terminal |
File Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Ctrl + S | Save the current file or document |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S | Save with a new name or location |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Open an existing file |
| New Window | Ctrl + N | Open a new window or document |
| Close Window | Ctrl + W | Close the current window or tab |
| Quit | Ctrl + Q | Quit the active application |
| Ctrl + P | Print the current document | |
| Move to Trash | Delete | Move selected file(s) to Trash in Files app |
| Permanently Delete | Shift + Delete | Permanently delete files without moving to Trash |
| Rename (Files app) | F2 | Rename the selected file or folder |
| New Folder | Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder in the Files app |
| Open Properties | Alt + Enter | Open the Properties panel for the selected item |
| Show Hidden Files | Ctrl + H | Toggle visibility of hidden files in Files app |
Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Find / Search | Ctrl + F | Open the search bar in the current application |
| Activities Overview | Super | Open the GNOME Activities overview to search apps, files, and windows |
| App Search | Super | Type immediately after pressing Super to search for applications |
| Switch Apps | Alt + Tab | Cycle through running applications |
| Switch Windows (same app) | Alt + ` | Cycle through windows of the same application |
| Switch Tabs | Ctrl + Tab | Switch between tabs in the current app |
| Go Back | Alt + Left | Navigate back in Files or browser |
| Go Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate forward in Files or browser |
| Switch Workspace Left | Ctrl + Alt + Left | Move to the workspace on the left |
| Switch Workspace Right | Ctrl + Alt + Right | Move to the workspace on the right |
| Move Window to Workspace Left | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left | Move the active window to the workspace on the left |
| Move Window to Workspace Right | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Right | Move the active window to the workspace on the right |
| Show all Windows (Overview) | Super + W | Show all open windows in the current workspace |
System & Display
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot (Full Screen) | PrtSc | Open the GNOME screenshot tool with full screen selected |
| Screenshot (Selection) | Shift + PrtSc | Drag to capture a selected region |
| Screenshot (Window) | Alt + PrtSc | Capture the active window |
| Screenshot Tool | Shift + Ctrl + Alt + R | Start screen recording (GNOME Screencast) |
| Lock Screen | Super + L | Lock the screen immediately |
| Log Out | Ctrl + Alt + Delete | Open the power/logout dialog |
| Open Terminal | Ctrl + Alt + T | Open a new terminal window |
| Minimize Window | Super + H | Minimize the active window |
| Maximize Window | Super + Up | Maximize the active window |
| Restore Window | Super + Down | Restore the window to its previous size |
| Snap Left | Super + Left | Snap the active window to the left half |
| Snap Right | Super + Right | Snap the active window to the right half |
| Close Window | Alt + F4 | Close the active window |
| Force Quit (xkill) | Ctrl + Alt + Esc | Enable cursor to click and kill a frozen window |
| Run Application | Alt + F2 | Open a run dialog to launch an application by name |
| Settings | Super | Search for 'Settings' after pressing Super to open system settings |
Text Cursor & Selection
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move Word Left | Ctrl + Left | Move the cursor one word to the left |
| Move Word Right | Ctrl + Right | Move the cursor one word to the right |
| Move to Line Start | Home | Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line |
| Move to Line End | End | Move the cursor to the end of the current line |
| Move to Document Start | Ctrl + Home | Move the cursor to the very beginning of the document |
| Move to Document End | Ctrl + End | Move the cursor to the very end of the document |
| Select Word Left | Ctrl + Shift + Left | Extend selection one word to the left |
| Select Word Right | Ctrl + Shift + Right | Extend selection one word to the right |
| Select to Line Start | Shift + Home | Extend selection to the beginning of the line |
| Select to Line End | Shift + End | Extend selection to the end of the line |
| Select All Up | Ctrl + Shift + Home | Extend selection to the top of the document |
| Select All Down | Ctrl + Shift + End | Extend selection to the bottom of the document |
Terminal (GNOME)
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Terminal Tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Open a new tab in GNOME Terminal |
| New Terminal Window | Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new GNOME Terminal window |
| Close Tab | Ctrl + Shift + W | Close the current terminal tab |
| Clear Screen | Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal output |
| Previous Command | Up | Recall the previous command from history |
| Search History | Ctrl + R | Reverse-search through command history (type to filter) |
| Interrupt / Cancel | Ctrl + C | Stop the currently running command |
| End of File / Exit | Ctrl + D | Send EOF — exits the shell or closes the tab |
| Autocomplete | Tab | Autocomplete commands, paths, and filenames |
| Move to Start of Line | Ctrl + A | Move cursor to the beginning of the command line |
| Move to End of Line | Ctrl + E | Move cursor to the end of the command line |
| Delete to Start of Line | Ctrl + U | Delete everything from cursor back to line start |
| Delete to End of Line | Ctrl + K | Delete everything from cursor to end of line |
| Delete Word Left | Ctrl + W | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Zoom In (Terminal) | Ctrl + + | Increase terminal font size |
| Zoom Out (Terminal) | Ctrl + - | Decrease terminal font size |
GNOME Panel & Workspaces
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open App Menu (App) | Super + F10 | Open the application menu (top bar) of the focused app |
| Focus Top Bar | Ctrl + Alt + Tab | Cycle focus between GNOME top bar, dock, and windows |
| New Workspace Above | Shift + Super + Page Up | Move window to a new workspace above |
| New Workspace Below | Shift + Super + Page Down | Move window to a new workspace below |
| Switch Workspace Up | Super + Page Up | Switch to workspace above |
| Switch Workspace Down | Super + Page Down | Switch to workspace below |
| Show Notifications | Super + V | Open the notification list / message tray |
| Focus Search Bar | Ctrl + F | Focus the search in the Files app or current window |
| Open Settings | Super or then type 'Settings' | Open GNOME Settings via the Activities search |
| Quick Settings Panel | Super + S | Open the quick settings dropdown from the top bar |
Accessibility
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom In | Super + Alt + + | Zoom in (requires Magnifier enabled in Accessibility settings) |
| Zoom Out | Super + Alt + - | Zoom out with the Magnifier |
| Toggle High Contrast | Super (search 'High Contrast') | Search for High Contrast in Settings > Accessibility |
| Toggle Screen Reader | Alt + Super + S | Toggle the Orca screen reader on or off |
| Toggle Zoom | Alt + Super + 8 | Enable or disable GNOME's screen magnifier |
| Move Zoom Focus Left | Alt + Super + Left | Move the zoom focus to the left |
| Move Zoom Focus Right | Alt + Super + Right | Move the zoom focus to the right |
| Move Zoom Focus Up | Alt + Super + Up | Move the zoom focus upward |
| Move Zoom Focus Down | Alt + Super + Down | Move the zoom focus downward |
| On-Screen Keyboard | Super (search 'On-Screen Keyboard') | Enable On-Screen Keyboard in Settings > Accessibility |
Browser Controls
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Tab | Ctrl + T | Open a new tab in Firefox or Chrome |
| Close Tab | Ctrl + W | Close the current browser tab |
| Reopen Closed Tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the most recently closed tab |
| New Window | Ctrl + N | Open a new browser window |
| New Private/Incognito Window | Ctrl + Shift + P | Open a Firefox Private Window (Ctrl+Shift+N for Chrome) |
| Focus Address Bar | Ctrl + L | Select the address bar to type a URL or search |
| Find on Page | Ctrl + F | Open the in-page search bar |
| Go Back | Alt + Left | Navigate to the previous page in history |
| Go Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate to the next page in history |
| Reload Page | F5 | Reload the current page |
| Hard Reload (bypass cache) | Ctrl + Shift + R | Reload the page bypassing the cache |
| Bookmark This Page | Ctrl + D | Add the current page to your bookmarks |
| Open Bookmark Manager | Ctrl + Shift + O | Open the bookmarks manager |
| Open History | Ctrl + H | View your browsing history |
| Open Downloads | Ctrl + J | View your downloads |
| Jump to Tab (1–8) | Ctrl + 1-8 | Switch directly to the tab at that position |
| Jump to Last Tab | Ctrl + 9 | Switch to the rightmost open tab |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Increase the page zoom level |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + - | Decrease the page zoom level |
| Reset Zoom | Ctrl + 0 | Reset page zoom to 100% |
| Developer Tools | F12 | Open browser Developer Tools |
| Reader Mode (Firefox) | F9 | Toggle Firefox Reader View for a distraction-free article view |
Files App (Nautilus)
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open New Window | Ctrl + N | Open a new Nautilus (Files) window |
| Open New Tab | Ctrl + T | Open a new tab in the Nautilus Files app |
| Close Tab | Ctrl + W | Close the current Nautilus tab |
| Go Home | Alt + Home | Navigate to your Home folder |
| Go to Parent Folder | Alt + Up | Navigate up one directory level |
| Go Back | Alt + Left | Navigate to the previous folder in history |
| Go Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate forward in folder history |
| Open Location / Path Bar | Ctrl + L | Open the path entry bar to type a folder path directly |
| Search | Ctrl + F | Open the search bar in Nautilus |
| Rename | F2 | Rename the selected file or folder |
| New Folder | Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder in the current directory |
| Show Hidden Files | Ctrl + H | Toggle visibility of hidden files and folders (those starting with a dot) |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Select all files in the current folder |
| Properties | Alt + Return | Open the Properties dialog for the selected file or folder |
| Move to Trash | Delete | Move the selected item(s) to Trash |
| Permanently Delete | Shift + Delete | Permanently delete the selected item(s) without going to Trash |
| Switch to Icon View | Ctrl + 1 | Switch to icon grid view |
| Switch to List View | Ctrl + 2 | Switch to detailed list view |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Increase icon size in the file browser |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + - | Decrease icon size in the file browser |
Printing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Open the print dialog in the current application | |
| Save Screenshot | PrtSc | Screenshots are saved to ~/Pictures by default; path can be changed in Settings |
Ubuntu Linux Tips & Tricks
- GNOME Activities = Spotlight: Press the Super key (Windows/Command key) to open GNOME Activities, then start typing to search apps, files, and settings. It's the fastest way to launch anything.
- Workspaces (Virtual Desktops): Ubuntu creates dynamic workspaces automatically. Use Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys to switch between them. Drag windows to the top of Activities view to move them to a new workspace.
- Terminal Shortcuts: In the GNOME Terminal: Ctrl+Shift+T opens a new tab, Ctrl+Shift+C copies, Ctrl+Shift+V pastes, Ctrl+D closes the current tab. Tab auto-completes commands and file paths.
- apt and snap Package Managers: Use 'sudo apt install <package>' to install software from the Ubuntu repositories. Use 'snap install <package>' for Snap packages, which are sandboxed and auto-updating.
- Night Light: Enable Night Light in Settings > Displays > Night Light to reduce blue light emission in the evenings, which can improve sleep quality if you work late.
- Keyboard Shortcut Customization: You can customize or add any keyboard shortcut in Settings > Keyboard > View and Customize Shortcuts. This includes custom shortcuts to launch specific applications or scripts.
- SSH and Remote Desktop: Ubuntu includes built-in SSH server support. Enable it with 'sudo systemctl enable --now ssh'. Use 'ssh user@host' from another machine to connect remotely without installing additional software.