Unlocking Hidden Mac Secret: Master the Art of Navigating Terminal with Word-by-Word Cursor Movement!
As a Mac user, you may be familiar with Terminal – the powerful command-line interface that allows you to interact with the UNIX operating system that underpins macOS. However, you may not be aware of a hidden gem that can help you navigate your commands with greater precision and speed: word-by-word cursor movement.
By default, when you use the arrow keys in Terminal, your cursor moves one character at a time. This is fine for short commands, but can become cumbersome for longer ones. However, by holding down the Option key while pressing the arrow keys, you can move your cursor one word at a time – jumping over spaces, tabs, and other punctuation.
This can be a huge time-saver for power users who spend a lot of time in the Terminal. Not only does it allow you to quickly move around your command line, but it also makes it easier to edit your commands – you can jump to the beginning or end of a word and make changes without having to delete individual characters.
To master this technique, all you need to do is remember the key combination: Option + ← or Option + → for left and right movements respectively. With a bit of practice, you’ll soon find yourself navigating your commands like a pro.
Of course, this is just one of many hidden features and shortcuts in Terminal. If you’re interested in learning more, there are plenty of resources available online – from official Apple documentation to third-party tutorials and forums. With a bit of curiosity and persistence, you can unlock the full power of your Mac’s command line and take your productivity to the next level.
So next time you find yourself grappling with a long and complex command in Terminal, remember the secret of word-by-word cursor movement. It may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in the speed and efficiency of your workflow. Happy navigating!
Many times it happens that you type a command in Terminal on your Mac and then need to make changes in the command. You then go back character by character to modify the command to then be able to execute it. While moving character by character in a Terminal command can be done using the arrow keys on your keyboard, moving the cursor word by word requires a different key combination.
The advantage of being able to move the cursor over words is that you can go really far through the command with just a few keystrokes. Here’s how to do that in Terminal on your Mac.
Moving the Cursor Word by Word in Terminal on a Mac
Launch Terminal on your Mac.
Type in a command in Terminal that has some words so you can do this procedure.
Once you have typed the command, use the following keys to move forward or backward word by word:
Esc + B – to move the cursor backward by a word
Esc + F – to move the cursor forward by a word
The keystrokes above should work in almost all the Unix-based terminals. But, you also have Mac-specific key combinations that let you move the cursor the same way as above. Those are:
Option + Left Arrow – to move the cursor backward by a word
Option + Right arrow – to move the cursor forward by a word
Conclusion
That’s how to move forward or backward by a word in Terminal on your Mac. If Terminal happens to be the app you use often, the tip above should help you make your work a little easier.
Mahesh Makvana is a freelance tech writer who’s written thousands of posts about various tech topics on various sites. He specializes in writing about Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android tech posts. He’s been into the field for last eight years and hasn’t spent a single day without tinkering around his devices.
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