Windows
Linux
Terminal & Shell Scripting
Terminal
Windows chcp equivalent in Linux
Displays the active character encoding.
Windows
→
chcp
Linux equivalents
locale charmap
locale charmap
locale charmap
Overview
What this command does
Displays the active character encoding.
Migration tip: Check the distro-specific rows before copying; package names and service names can differ even when the tool name is similar.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Show terminal encoding
Displays the active character encoding.
locale charmap
Show terminal encoding
locale --help
Show command help when supported
man locale
Open the manual page when installed
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
locale charmap
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows equivalent: chcp
locale charmapReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
locale charmap | Show terminal encoding |
locale --help | Show command help when supported |
man locale | Open the manual page when installed |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
The equivalent is shown for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch. Some rows use a different package manager or helper tool where Linux distributions commonly diverge.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | locale charmap |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | locale charmap |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | locale charmap |
Same command on this distribution. |
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