Terminal · Cut the word before the cursor, by word characters
Killing
Windows · Linux
Alt+BackspaceMac
Option+BackspaceCuts the word before the cursor by word characters, stopping at each slash of a path — that is exactly how it differs from Ctrl+W.
- Group
- Killing
- Keys held
- 2
In a terminal Ctrl+C is not copy; it interrupts whatever is running. Copy is Ctrl+Shift+C in Windows Terminal and Cmd+C on a Mac.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
Q. What is the shortcut for Cut the word before the cursor, by word characters in Terminal?
Cuts the word before the cursor by word characters, stopping at each slash of a path — that is exactly how it differs from Ctrl+W. It is Alt+Backspace on Windows and Option+Backspace on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Alt+Backspace on Windows, Option+Backspace on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
2 pressed together. The combination sits under Killing in Terminal.