Windows title equivalent in Linux
Changes the title text shown in the terminal emulator's title bar.
title
echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007"
echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007"
echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007"
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "title" is used to set the terminal window title. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007"". Changes the title text shown in the terminal emulator's title bar. 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 title maps to echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007" 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
Set the terminal window title
Changes the title text shown in the terminal emulator's title bar.
echo -ne "\033]0;Title\007"
Set title in most terminals
printf "\033]0;%s\007" "title"
printf version (more portable)
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
echo -ne "\033]0;My Terminal\007"
echo -ne "\033]0;${USER}@${HOSTNAME}: ${PWD}\007"
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows: title My Application
echo -ne "\033]0;My Terminal\007"
# Dynamic title showing current dir:
echo -ne "\033]0;${USER}@${HOSTNAME}: ${PWD}\007"
# Auto-update in ~/.bashrc:
PROMPT_COMMAND='echo -ne "\033]0;${PWD}\007"'Reference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
echo -ne "\033]0;Title\007" | Set title in most terminals |
printf "\033]0;%s\007" "title" | printf version (more portable) |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007"" 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 | echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007" |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007" |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | echo -ne "\033]0;My Title\007" |
Same command on this distribution. |
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