Nano Text Editor

Text files are a commonly used means for storing and exchanging information in Linux. Because of this, almost every distribution offers tools to work with them. In our working environment, we will use the text editor nano:

13_nano.png

Some of the main features of nano are:

File Control

Key	Explanation
nano readme.txt	Opens or creates a file readme.txt
Ctrl-o Y Enter	Saves the changes
Ctrl-r Alt-f	Opens a new file
Alt->	Switches to the next open file
Alt-<	Switches to the previous open file
Ctrl-x	Exits the editor

Navigation in the Content

Key	Explanation
Ctrl-a	Move to the beginning of the current line
Ctrl-e	Move to the end of the current line
Ctrl-v	Scroll down a page
Ctrl-y	Scroll up a page
Alt-	Move to the beginning of the file
Alt-/	Move to the end of the file
Alt-g	Position to the desired line in the file

Copying and Pasting

Key	Explanation
Alt-a	Select a block for copying or pasting
Alt-a Alt-^	Copy (Copy) the selected block to the clipboard
Alt-a Ctrl-k	Cut (Cut) the selected block to the clipboard
Ctrl-k	Cut (Cut) from the cursor position to the end of the line
Ctrl-u	Paste (Paste) the content from the clipboard at the current position

Search and Replace

Key	Description
Ctrl-w	Search for text
Alt-w	Repeat last search
Alt-r	Search and replace

References:

• The Beginner's Guide to Nano, the Linux Command-Line Text Editor

• Nano text editor command cheatsheet