8 “hidden” terminal features that make Linux feel like a power-user OS
8 “hidden” terminal features that make Linux feel like a power-user OS
https://www.howtogeek.com/hidden-terminal-features-that-make-linux-feel-like-a-power-user-os/
Publish Date: 2026-01-31 15:30:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
With the command-line shell, Linux provides countless tools and programs to wield power over your system. But many of these features are hidden below the surface, waiting for you to discover them.
The following features will help you get the best out of Linux, and they’re all available to use locally or on remote servers.
Tab completion for less typing
Tab completion is one of those features that we all take for granted. It seems like such an obvious, basic feature, yet try using a terminal without it, and you’ll be cursing the omission. If you ever used DOS or any command line without completion, the pain will be real.
Unix has always had excellent tab completion, and it’s an essential feature now that file names are longer and more awkward to type out in full. Just press Tab, and your shell will complete a command or file name, provided the prefix you’ve already typed is unambiguous. Otherwise, you’ll get a list of ambiguous commands/file names, which is useful in itself.
But Linux tab completion is far more powerful than the rudimentary version everyone learns on day one. Take the git command, for example:
In this case, you can see a full list of supported subcommands just by typing git and pressing Tab. Git has even more powerful completion, and can use context to infer a filename you need to pass to commit, for example.
As a power user, you’ll be working with files in the terminal a…
