How to Clear Terminal in Linux: Simple Commands Explained

To clear the terminal screen in Linux, use the clear command which removes all previous output from view. Alternatively, reset can be used to clear the screen and reinitialize the terminal settings.

Syntax

The basic command to clear the terminal is clear. It takes no arguments and simply wipes the visible terminal screen.

The reset command also clears the screen but goes further by reinitializing the terminal, which can fix display issues.

bash

clear
reset

Example

This example shows how to use the clear command to clean your terminal screen after running some commands.

bash

echo "Hello, Linux Terminal!"
clear
echo "Screen cleared above this line."

Output

Screen cleared above this line.

Common Pitfalls

Sometimes users try to clear the screen by printing many blank lines, which is inefficient and does not truly clear the scrollback buffer.

Also, using reset unnecessarily can slow down your workflow because it reinitializes the terminal.

bash

printf '\n%.0s' {1..100}  # Inefficient way to clear screen
clear                      # Correct way to clear screen

Quick Reference

• clear: Clears the visible terminal screen.
• reset: Clears screen and resets terminal settings.
• Use Ctrl+L as a shortcut to clear the screen in most terminals.

Key Takeaways

Use the clear command to quickly wipe the terminal screen.

The reset command clears and reinitializes the terminal if needed.

Avoid printing blank lines to clear the screen; it is inefficient.

Ctrl+L is a handy keyboard shortcut to clear the terminal screen.

Use reset only when terminal display issues occur.