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Mastering iTerm Shortcuts for Efficiency
Enhance your productivity with iTerm shortcuts for deleting and navigating words efficiently on macOS.
2025-01-16 18:00:08 UTC
iTerm
macOS
productivity
shortcuts
terminal
guides
it-journey
notes
programming
shortcuts
2025-01-16 18:04:19 UTC
draft
mastering-iterm-shortcuts-efficiency

In iTerm on macOS, you can set up keyboard shortcuts to delete the selected word by configuring key bindings. Here's how you can set it up:

1. Open iTerm Preferences

  • Press Command + , or navigate to iTerm2 > Preferences from the menu bar.

2. Go to the "Keys" Tab

  • In the Preferences window, select the Keys tab.

3. Add a New Key Binding

  • Click the + button in the lower-right corner to add a new shortcut.

4. Configure the Key Binding

  • In the Keyboard Shortcut field, press the key combination you want to use for deleting the selected word (e.g., Option + Backspace or Control + W).

  • In the Action dropdown menu, select Send Hex Code.

  • For deleting the word before the cursor, use this hex code:

0x1B 0x08

This corresponds to sending the ESC (0x1B) key followed by the Backspace (0x08) key.

5. Save and Test

  • Click OK to save the key binding.

  • Test your new shortcut in the terminal by typing a few words and then using the shortcut to delete the word.

Additional Notes

  • If you're using zsh or another shell, ensure the keybinding aligns with your shell's configuration.

  • You can use similar key bindings to configure other shortcuts (e.g., deleting the word after the cursor).

Let me know if you'd like further customization details!

To set up a shortcut in iTerm2 for scrolling back by a word, you need to define a custom key binding in iTerm's preferences. Here's how you can do it:

Steps to Configure a Shortcut for Scrolling Back by Word

  1. Open iTerm2 Preferences

Press Command + , or go to iTerm2 > Preferences from the menu bar.

  1. Navigate to the "Keys" Tab

In the Preferences window, select the Keys tab.

  1. Add a New Key Binding

Click the + button in the lower-right corner to create a new shortcut.

  1. Set the Shortcut Key
  • In the Keyboard Shortcut field, press the key combination you want to use for scrolling back by a word (e.g., Option + Left Arrow or Control + Left Arrow).
  1. Assign the Action

  • In the Action dropdown, select Send Escape Sequence.

  • In the Esc+ field, enter:

b

This sends the ESC + b sequence, which moves back by a word in most shells like bash, zsh, and fish.

  1. Repeat for Forward Movement (Optional)

If you also want a shortcut to scroll forward by a word:

  • Click the + button again to add another shortcut.

  • Set the Keyboard Shortcut to something like Option + Right Arrow or Control + Right Arrow.

  • Assign the action Send Escape Sequence and enter:

f

This sends the ESC + f sequence to move forward by a word.

  1. Save and Test

Close the Preferences window and test your shortcuts in the terminal. Use the configured keys to move backward and forward by word.

Additional Notes

  • The ESC + b and ESC + f shortcuts rely on shell support. Most common shells like zsh, bash, and fish support this by default.

  • If you encounter conflicts with macOS system shortcuts (like Option+Arrow), you might need to disable conflicting shortcuts in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts.

To set up a shortcut in iTerm2 to delete the word after the cursor, you need to configure a custom key binding that sends the correct escape sequence. Here's how to do it:

Steps to Set Up a Shortcut to Delete the Word After the Cursor

  1. Open iTerm2 Preferences

Press Command + , or go to iTerm2 > Preferences from the menu bar.

  1. Go to the "Keys" Tab

In the Preferences window, select the Keys tab.

  1. Add a New Key Binding

Click the + button in the lower-right corner to create a new shortcut.

  1. Configure the Shortcut

  • In the Keyboard Shortcut field, press the key combination you want to use for deleting the word after the cursor (e.g., Option + Delete or Control + Delete).

  • In the Action dropdown, select Send Escape Sequence.

  • In the Esc+ field, enter:

d

This sends the ESC + d sequence, which deletes the word after the cursor in most shells like bash, zsh, and fish.

  1. Save and Test

Close the Preferences window and test your shortcut in the terminal. Move your cursor to the beginning or middle of a word, and press your configured shortcut. The word after the cursor should be deleted.

Notes

  • The ESC + d escape sequence works by default in many shells (bash, zsh, fish). If it doesn't work as expected, verify your shell configuration.

  • If you want a similar shortcut to delete the word before the cursor, follow the same steps but use the escape sequence Ctrl + w or ESC + Backspace (depending on your preference).

Let me know if you need further assistance!