Using Ctrl or Alt AND backspace to delete last word in Bash

Question

In Linux I'm used to press Ctrl-Backspace to delete the last word but I don't know how to do it in Bash terminal.

In OS X I use Alt-Backspace to do the same thing.

Is there any way of making Bash recognize the Ctrl- or Alt-Backspace key combination to delete last word?

In Linux I use terminator as terminal emulator, in OSX I use iTerm2.

Alt-⌫ a.k.a. Alt-← a.k.a. Alt-Backspace works perfectly fine for me. I'm using Terminator 0.93. — Teddy, Jun 14 '11 at 09:49

score 35 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 13 '11 at 17:15

35

You can always use Ctrl-W. It deletes the word before the cursor and works in every Bash.

See here for a list of Bash keyboard shortcuts.

answered Jun 13 '11 at 17:15

slhck

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Wow this may have changed how I use the terminal forever. Thanks! – David Nov 30 '12 at 13:52
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This does not answer the question – Sel Jan 18 '17 at 07:56
I am using the combination through ssh with `tcsh`, it clears everything before the cursor, not just one word before cursor. – zyy May 16 '20 at 20:39

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 13 '11 at 17:28

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You just need to set Option as Meta key in iTerm's preferences (Profiles » Keys).

backward-kill-word is bound to Meta-Rubout (i.e. Opt-Backspace) by default.

The same option exists (albeit less flexible) in Apple's Terminal.app.

answered Jun 13 '11 at 17:28

Daniel Beck

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Actually, you have to use the "+Esc" setting. Only setting it to "acts as: Meta" results in `?` being printed instead of the word getting deleted. – slhck Jun 13 '11 at 17:32
@slhck Not for me. But since the developers recommend it anyway, it can't be a bad thing. – Daniel Beck Jun 13 '11 at 17:34

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 19 '17 at 16:23

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You can create a file .inputrc in your home directory and add this content inside:

"\C-h": backward-kill-word

answered Apr 19 '17 at 16:23

Sel

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Note that this and `C-w` in the accepted answer differ by what is considered a "word". `C-w` will delete from the cursor position until it encounters non-space characters and then a space (i.e., `"this is a/se=weird |test"` where `|` marks the cursor position will yield `"this is test"`). In contrast, the `C-h` bind here (which can be bound using `bind '"\C-h": backward-kill-word"` in a `.bashrc`) would yield `"this is a/se= test"`, as it basically delimits words on what a bash variable would, not just spaces. – jeremysprofile Jul 16 '18 at 19:07

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Oct 04 '21 at 03:17

2

As some have mentioned, this may also depend on your terminal emulator. For example in KDE's Konsole, you can define the behavior of Ctrl+Backspace in the key bindings settings of the profile:

Set Backspace+Ctrl to the output \E\x7f (default \b)

edited Oct 04 '21 at 03:17

Dan Dascalescu

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answered Jan 07 '21 at 21:30

quazgar

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score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 17 '13 at 07:56

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In terminator you can use the following "plugin", along with

[keybindings]
    kill_word = <Control>BackSpace

in your config file. This will map Ctrl-Backspace to ESC→DEL, another shorcut to delete last word.

answered Sep 17 '13 at 07:56

OlivierBlanvillain

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Unfortunately this stopped working in terminator 1.9. Could you provide a fix by any chance? – Sel Apr 18 '17 at 08:38
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Sorry, stopped using terminator long time ago... – OlivierBlanvillain Apr 19 '17 at 14:14

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Sep 08 '15 at 18:30

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You can just use Alt-DEL instead of the normal Strg-DEL.

answered Sep 08 '15 at 18:30

Luca Steeb

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Using Ctrl or Alt AND backspace to delete last word in Bash

6 Answers6