đź–Ą️ Introduction
Whether you're managing servers, editing scripts, or handling configurations, the Nano editor is one of the simplest yet most powerful command-line text editors for Linux systems. Unlike Vim or Emacs, Nano is beginner-friendly and perfect for quick edits on the go.
In this post, we’ll cover daily-use Nano editor shortcuts with a visual cheat sheet to boost your productivity.
✏️ Why Developers Love Nano
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Pre-installed on most Linux distributions
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Easy to use — no steep learning curve
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Lightweight and fast
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Perfect for quick config or script edits
đź“‹ Nano Editor Shortcut Keys Cheat Sheet
Here’s a quick reference for the most commonly used Nano shortcuts:
Action | Shortcut |
---|---|
Save file | Ctrl + O (then press Enter ) |
Exit Nano | Ctrl + X |
Cut current line | Ctrl + K |
Paste last cut line | Ctrl + U |
Search within file | Ctrl + W |
Go to specific line | Ctrl + _ (then enter line number) |
Undo last action | Alt + U |
Redo undone change | Alt + E |
Justify selected text | Ctrl + J |
đź”§ Real-World Example: Editing a Config File
Use these shortcuts:
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Ctrl + W
→ search for a directive likeserver {
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Make your changes
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Ctrl + O
→ to save -
Ctrl + X
→ to exit