What does ~ mean in a Linux shell?

Question

I'm new to Linux and have been seeing this often. Could someone explain the concept here?

~/.somefilename

What does the ~ (tilde) signify?

In any case, this is covered in the appropriate *shell reference*, such as the [Bash Reference Manual](http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html). — pst, Sep 12 '12 at 23:10
Looks like google does not support it http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2466433 — Adrian Cornish, Sep 12 '12 at 23:12

score 22 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 13 '12 at 06:48

22

The ~ (tilde) is a quick way of specifying your home directory.

The ~/.somefilename means your home directory, the file .somefilename.

edited Sep 13 '12 at 06:48

slhck

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answered Sep 12 '12 at 23:09

Lipongo

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I should also mention that the . infront of a file name normally signifies it is a hidden file. It will not show up by default in an ls of a directory unless you specify -a as an option to the ls command. – Sep 12 '12 at 23:14

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 12 '12 at 23:10

The tilde ~ character is interpreted by most shells as the "home directory" for you. The "." doesn't mean anything if it's part of a filename, although some programs such as ls will (unless explicitely told otherwise) not show files if their name starts with a "dot". Sort of a "hidden" attribute.

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 03 '13 at 01:34

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Tilde originally shared the same space on the HOME key of certain keyboards and by association still means home directory.

answered Dec 03 '13 at 01:34

pear

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What does ~ mean in a Linux shell?

3 Answers3