How to Create a File in Linux

In this article, we will learn how to create a new file in Linux on a regular basis. You can create a new file either from the command line or from the desktop file manager.

What you’ll learn

  • How to create a file in Linux
  • Some basic about nano

What you’ll need

  • Ubuntu Desktop
  • Sudo-privileged user account
  • Basic Linux command line knowledge

Create a File in Linux

There are various ways to quickly create a new file in Linux using the command line.

  • Using touch Command
  • Using cat Command
  • Using echo Command
  • Using text editor

Creating a File with touch Command

The touch command allows us to update the timestamps on existing files and directories as well as create new, empty files.

To create a new file simply run the touch command followed by the name of the file you want to create:

$ touch file1.txt

To create multiple files at once, specify the file names separated by space:

$ touch file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Creating a File with cat Command

The cat command is mainly used to read and concatenate files, but it can also be used for creating new files.

To create a new file run the cat command followed by the redirection operator > and the name of the file you want to create. Press Enter type the text and once you are done press the CRTL+D to save the files.

$ cat > file1.txt

Creating a File with echo Command

The echo command prints the strings that are passed as arguments to the standard output, which can be redirected to a file.
To create a new file run the echo command followed by the text you want to print and use the redirection operator > to write the output to the file you want to create.

$ echo "Some line" > file1.txt

If you want to create an empty simply use the:

$ echo > file1.txt

Creating a File using a text editor

There are many text editors where you can create and edit the file. In this tutorial, we are using the Nano text editor.

$ nano [file name]

This is the way how to create a new file in Linux on a regular basis using the command line and you can use any text editor.

Video

You can watch this video on how to create a new file in Linux on a regular basis.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to create a new file in Linux from the command line using various commands and a text editor.

If the command line is not your thing you can easily create a blank text file using the right-click menu in the File Manager.

If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

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