Windows cls equivalent in Linux
Clears all text from the terminal window.
cls
clear
clear
clear
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "cls" is used to clear the terminal screen. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "clear". Clears all text from the terminal window. This reference is grouped under Terminal & Shell Scripting → Terminal.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Equivalent task, different tool
Windows cls maps to clear for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux command-line basics.
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
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "clear" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| 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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