Editing with nano

Starting nano

To open a file with nano:

Edit an existing file:

  nano filename.txt

Create a new file (if it doesn’t exist, it will be created when you save):

  nano newfile.txt

Open a file at a specific line number:

  nano +25 filename.txt

Common optional flags:

-l — show line numbers
-c — show cursor position (line, column)
-m — enable mouse support (if your terminal supports it)
-i — auto-indent new lines

Example:

nano -l -m script.sh

nano interface basics

When nano opens, you’ll see:

The text area in the middle
A status line near the bottom (shows file name, warnings, search results)
A help bar at the very bottom with commands like:

^X Exit
^O Write Out
^W Where Is

^ means “Ctrl”. So:

^X means press Ctrl + X
^O means press Ctrl + O

M- means “Meta” (usually the Alt key):

M-U means Alt + U

Basic editing

Moving the cursor

Left/right: ← / → arrow keys
Up/down: ↑ / ↓ arrow keys
Previous/next word: Ctrl + ← / Ctrl + → (depends on terminal)
Start of line: Ctrl + A
End of line: Ctrl + E
Start of file: Ctrl + Home or Alt + \
End of file: Ctrl + End or Alt + /
Go to specific line (and column): Ctrl + _ then type line (and optionally ,column)

Example: Ctrl + _, then 42 jumps to line 42. 42,10 jumps to line 42, column 10.

Inserting and deleting text

Just type to insert text at the cursor.
Backspace: delete character before cursor.
Delete: delete character under cursor.
Ctrl + D: also delete character under cursor.
Ctrl + K: cut the entire current line.
Ctrl + J: re-justify (re-wrap) a paragraph of text (handy in plain text files).

Saving and exiting

Saving (Write Out)

Save: Ctrl + O

nano will show the file name at the bottom.
Press Enter to confirm, or change the name to save as a different file.

Exiting

Exit: Ctrl + X

If there are unsaved changes, nano will ask:

“Save modified buffer?” — press:

Y to save, then Enter to confirm filename
N to exit without saving
Ctrl + C to cancel and return to editing

Searching and replacing

Searching text

Search: Ctrl + W

Type search term, press Enter.
Next match: Ctrl + W, then Enter again (repeats last search).

Useful search options (toggled after pressing Ctrl + W, then Alt + key):

Case-sensitive: Alt + C
Search backwards: Alt + B
Use regular expressions: Alt + R (basic regex support)

Find and replace

Replace: Ctrl + \ (sometimes shown as ^\\)

Enter the text to search for, press Enter.
Enter the replacement text, press Enter.
For each match, nano will ask:

Y — replace this one
N — skip
A — replace all remaining without asking
Ctrl + C — stop replacing

Cutting, copying, and pasting

nano uses a “mark and cut” style selection.

Cutting and copying lines

Cut current line: Ctrl + K

Repeatedly pressing Ctrl + K cuts subsequent lines and appends them to the same cut buffer.

Paste: Ctrl + U (inserts last cut text at cursor)
Copy current line (without deleting it):

Ctrl + K (cut the line)
Immediately Ctrl + U twice (paste twice: one stays, one is the copy)
Move to where you want the copy and Ctrl + U again

Cutting/copying a selection

Move cursor to start of the text.
Set the mark: Ctrl + ^ (Ctrl + Shift + 6 on many keyboards)
Use arrows to extend selection.
Cut selection: Ctrl + K
Paste selection: Ctrl + U

To “copy” instead of cut:

After step 4 (cut), immediately hit Ctrl + U to restore text where it was, then move and paste again with Ctrl + U.

Undo and redo

Undo: Alt + U
Redo: Alt + E

Undo/redo covers most editing actions (insert, delete, cut, paste, search-replace, etc.), but history depth can be limited depending on version.

Working with multiple files and buffers

nano can work with multiple open files in one session.

Opening additional files

Insert file into current cursor position: Ctrl + R

Type file name, press Enter.

Open a new buffer/file: Ctrl + R, then Ctrl + X at the prompt

Type a filename and press Enter.

Switching between open buffers

Next buffer: Alt + .
Previous buffer: Alt + ,

nano shows the current buffer’s name in the status line.

Indentation and code editing helpers

nano is basic but has a few coding-friendly features, often enabled via options or config.

Common shortcuts:

Auto-indent toggle: Alt + I
Comment/uncomment selected lines (in many nano builds): Alt + 3
Indent selection (with mark set): Alt + }
Unindent selection: Alt + {

These depend on your nano version and config; if they don’t work, your distro’s defaults may differ.

Enabling line numbers and syntax highlighting

Some distros enable these by default; others don’t. You can control them from within nano and via config.

Temporary (per session)

While in nano:

Toggle line number display (if supported): Alt + N
Toggle soft wrapping: Alt + L

Or start nano with options:

With line numbers: nano -l file
With soft wrap: nano -$ file

Permanent (via config file)

User-level config: ~/.nanorc
System-wide config: /etc/nanorc (requires root)

Example ~/.nanorc:

set linenumbers
set softwrap
set tabsize 4
set autoindent
include "/usr/share/nano/*.nanorc"

Common options:

set linenumbers — show line numbers
set softwrap — wrap long lines visually
set tabsize 4 — set tab width
set autoindent — auto-indent new lines
set mouse — enable mouse clicks

The include line loads syntax highlighting rules provided by your distro (language-specific .nanorc files).

Using nano as default editor

Some commands (like crontab -e, git commit, or editing system configs via tools) use the EDITOR or VISUAL environment variables.

To make nano your default editor for your user:

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile:

export EDITOR=nano
export VISUAL=nano

Apply immediately in the current shell:

export EDITOR=nano
export VISUAL=nano

Now tools that respect these variables will open nano instead of another editor.

Practical workflows and tips

Quick note taking:

nano note.txt
Type your note
Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X

Editing a config file as root:

  sudo nano /etc/filename.conf

Prevent accidental overwrites:

Use a new filename when saving: Ctrl + O, then type filename.conf.bak for a backup.

Checking your location in the file:

Ctrl + C — shows current line, column, and file info in the status line.

Use Ctrl + G at any time to see nano’s built-in help screen, which lists many of these commands with their key combinations.

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