Nano is a lightweight, terminal-based text editor available on almost every Linux distribution by default. It's simple, predictable, and perfect for quick edits over SSH.
Nano uses a specific notation to represent keyboard combinations:
Examples:
Press Ctrl + G to view Nano's help documentation. Use the arrow keys to navigate through the list of commands. Press Ctrl + X to close the help screen and return to the editor.
Creating, Editing, and Saving Files in Nano
To create or modify a file, use the nano command followed by the file name.
nano test.text
If the specified file doesn't exist, Nano will create it and open it for editing. You can immediately begin typing content.
To save changes, press Ctrl + O, then confirm the filename.
After confirming, hit Enter to save. You may continue editing and press Ctrl + O again to save additional changes.
Opening System Files
To edit system-level files, prepend the command with sudo using the structure below:
sudo nano /<systempath>/filename.txt
For instance, to open the /etc/hosts file:
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Searching and Replacing Text in Nano
- Searching
Press Ctrl + W, then type your search query when prompted. Press Enter to locate the first match.
To find additional matches, repeat Ctrl + W and press Enter again.
- Replacing
Initiate replacement by pressing Alt + R.
Enter the text you wish to find and press Enter.
Then enter the replacement text and confirm by pressing Enter again.
Once Nano highlights the first instance, you can choose:
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text in Nano
Use the steps below to perform cut, copy, and paste operations in the Nano text editor on Linux.
To copy content, press Alt + A to set a marker at the desired starting line.
Use the Left and Right arrow keys to select the text you want to copy.
Press Alt + 6 to copy the marked section.
To cut content, press Alt + A at the start of the line you wish to cut.
Again, use the Left and Right arrow keys to select the portion you want to cut.
Then press Ctrl + K to cut the highlighted text.
To paste, navigate to the desired position using the cursor.
Press Ctrl + U to paste the copied or cut text at the cursor location.
Undoing and Redoing Changes in Nano
To reverse or reapply actions in Nano, use the commands below:
Customizing the Nano Text Editor
Nano reads settings from /etc/nanorc for global configuration, and from ~/.config/nano/nanorc or ~/.nanorc for user-specific settings. User-level settings override global ones.
- Local Configuration
Create a .nanorc file in your home directory:
nano ~/.nanorc
Add the lines below to enable automatic indentation and display line numbers:
set autoindent set linenumbers
Save and exit the file. When you launch Nano, you should see indentation and line numbering activated.
- Global Configuration
To set Nano options system-wide, open the /etc/nanorc configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/nanorc
In this file, you can enable options by uncommenting lines (remove the # at the beginning). Save and close the file. Any changes you make here apply to all users on the system.
Exiting Nano
When you're finished editing, press Ctrl + X to leave Nano. If changes haven't been saved, you'll see a prompt asking if you'd like to save the modified buffer.
Source: Orkhan Alishov's notes