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Nano Text Editor in Linux

Last Updated : 12 Jul, 2025

In the vast world of Linux text editors, Nano stands out as a simple yet powerful tool for editing files directly from the command line interface. Whether you're a novice user or an experienced developer, Nano offers a straightforward and efficient editing experience. In this article, we'll delve into the depths of Nano, covering its features, usage, customization options, and advanced functionalities.

Nano is a command-line text editor that comes pre-installed with most Linux distributions. It's designed to be user-friendly, with a simple interface that resembles popular graphical text editors. Nano provides essential editing features, making it ideal for quick edits, creating configuration files, or writing scripts directly in the terminal.

Nano is generally by default available in many Linux distributions, but if it is not installed, you may install it using the following commands:

sudo apt update

• sudo: This part tells the system to run the command with super user privileges, also known as "root" access. Normally, users don't have this privilege, as it allows them to modify critical system settings.
• apt: This stands for "Advanced Package Tool" and is the main package manager for these systems. It handles installing, removing, and updating software.
• update: This is the specific command within apt that tells it to update the list of available software packages.

sudo apt install nano

• sudo: This stands for "superuser do" and is used to execute commands that require administrative privileges. Basically, it's asking for permission to make changes to the system.
• apt: This is the package manager used by Debian-based systems. It's like a software store that keeps track of available programs and helps you install them.
• install: This tells the package manager that you want to install something new.
• nano: This is the specific program you're installing, which in this case is the Nano text editor.

sudo yum install nano

• sudo: This tells the computer you want to run the following command with administrator privileges. Imagine needing a special key to access certain settings on your computer - sudo is like that key for commands.
• yum: This is the package manager specifically used by certain Linux distributions (like CentOS or RedHat). It's like a giant storeroom for software that keeps track of everything installed and helps you find new programs.
• install: This tells yum that you want to add a new program to your system.
• nano: This is the name of the specific program you're installing. In this case, it's nano, a popular text editor used for creating and editing plain text files.

This command will open a new file with new_filename as shown in the output. In case the file already exists it will open the same and in case the file is not there in the current directory it will create a new one. At the bottom of the window, there is a list of shortcut keys for nano.

nano new_filename

It will ask you for the filename. In case, you want to save the changes to a new file or want to create a new file then change the name else keep the name same.

press Ctrl+o

As soon as you will press enter key, then In case, you have changed the name of the file then it will save the file with a new name and if not then it will save the changes to the current file.

To cut paste in a file. Ctrl+o is used to cut and Ctrl+u is used to paste the text.

To cut and paste a whole line. Move to the line which you want to cut then press Ctrl+k. Now the line is moved to clipboard, To paste it, go to the position where you want to paste and then press Ctrl+u

To cut and paste the selected text. Select the text which you want to cut then press Ctrl+k. Now the text is moved to clipboard. To paste it, go to the position where you want to paste and then press Ctrl+u.

To search a word in a file Ctrl+w is used. Press Ctrl+w It will ask for a word to search for. Enter the word It will search for the word and will place the cursor in the first letter of the first occurrence of the word.

To enable spell check in nano. First, install the spell check package.

sudo apt install spell

It will then ask for the password then enter the password. Then press y and then press enter.

• To do spell check first press Ctrl+t
• Now it will ask you to replace the incorrect words
• Enter the word to replace with there
• As soon as you will press the enter key

Nano's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. Here are some essential commands to get started:

• Navigation: Use the arrow keys to move the cursor up, down, left, or right.
• Page Navigation: Press Ctrl + V to move to the next page or Ctrl + Y to move to the previous page.
• Editing: Type directly to insert text. Use Backspace to delete characters, and Delete to delete the character under the cursor.

Saving and exiting files in Nano is straightforward:

• Save: Press Ctrl + O to write the current buffer to a file. Nano prompts you to enter the filename if you haven't specified one.
• Exit: Press Ctrl + X to exit Nano. If there are unsaved changes, Nano will ask if you want to save before exiting.

Nano provides powerful search and replace functionalities:

• Search: Press Ctrl + W to search for a specific term in the file. Nano highlights the first occurrence, and you can navigate through subsequent matches using Alt + W.
• Replace: Press Ctrl + \\ to activate the replace mode. Enter the search term, followed by the replacement, and press Enter to replace the first occurrence. Press A to replace all occurrences.

While Nano's default configuration works well for most users, you can customize its behavior to suit your preferences:

• Configuration File: Nano reads settings from the nanorc file located in /etc/nanorc or ~/.nanorc. You can modify this file to customize Nano's behavior, such as enabling syntax highlighting, defining keyboard shortcuts, or changing default options.
• Syntax Highlighting: Nano supports syntax highlighting for various programming languages. To enable syntax highlighting, uncomment or add the appropriate syntax-specific lines in the nanorc file.

Beyond its basic functionalities, Nano offers some advanced features for power users:

• Multiple Buffers: Nano supports multiple buffers, allowing you to edit multiple files simultaneously. Use Ctrl + R to open a new file in a separate buffer.
• Spell Checking: Nano includes a built-in spell checker. Press Ctrl + T to toggle spell checking on or off, and Alt + T to jump to the next misspelled word.

Here's how to set nano as the default editor in the command line:

• Open your terminal
• Edit your shell profile (usually .bashrc for bash). You can use nano itself to edit this file:

nano ~/.bashrc

• Add the following lines to the end of the file:

export EDITOR="nano"
export VISUAL="nano"

• EDITOR is the most commonly used environment variable for the default editor.
• VISUAL is a fallback variable used by some programs. Setting both ensures wider compatibility.

Save the changes and exit the editor (usually Ctrl+O to save, Ctrl+X to exit).

Refresh your shell configuration to apply the changes. You can do this by either restarting your terminal window or running:

source ~/.bashrc

Nano is a versatile and user-friendly text editor that provides essential editing capabilities for Linux users. Whether you're editing configuration files, writing scripts, or making quick changes on the command line, Nano offers a seamless editing experience. By mastering Nano's features and customization options, you can enhance your productivity and efficiency in managing text files within the Linux environment.

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