Windows
Linux
Terminal & Shell Scripting
Terminal
Windows cls equivalent in Linux
Clears all text from the terminal window.
Windows
→
cls
Linux equivalents
clear
clear
clear
Overview
What this command does
Clears all text from the terminal window.
Migration tip: You can also press Ctrl+L — it's the keyboard shortcut that works in almost every Linux terminal and is often faster than typing clear.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Clear the terminal screen
Clears all text from the terminal window.
clear
Clear the screen
Ctrl+L
Keyboard shortcut — same result
reset
Full terminal reset (fixes garbled output)
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
clear
reset
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows: cls
clear # clears the screen
# Or just press:
Ctrl + L # same effect, much faster
# If the terminal looks garbled:
reset # completely resets terminal stateReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
clear | Clear the screen |
Ctrl+L | Keyboard shortcut — same result |
reset | Full terminal reset (fixes garbled output) |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | clear |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | clear |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | clear |
Same command on this distribution. |
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