---
title: "clear vs CTRL + L in Your Shell"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/clear-vs-ctrl-l-in-your-shell-7yvfostqi
source_url: https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/clear-vs-ctrl-l-in-your-shell
type: article
source: "Nick Janetakis"
published: 2024-05-07T10:02:05.177Z
updated: 2024-05-09T08:39:06.345Z
tags: ["shell"]
reading_time: 2
upvotes: 41
comments: 6
language: en
---

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# clear vs CTRL + L in Your Shell

**[Nick Janetakis](https://daily.dev/sources/nickjanetakis)** · 2 min read · 41 upvotes · 6 comments

## Summary

Learn about the difference between using clear and CTRL + L in the shell to clear the screen and buffer. CTRL + L clears the visible output while still allowing you to scroll up, while clear also clears the buffer. Watch the demo video to see it in action.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/clear-vs-ctrl-l-in-your-shell>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@debajyatidey** · 0 upvotes

> Wow! I was always waiting for someone to write on this topic!

**@tassosmdj** · 0 upvotes

> Well, that's heplful! Thanks for sharing!

**@valdirjunior011** · 0 upvotes

> I use both to be honest but since I have aliases for clear, it's faster for me just type c on my terminal.

**@mrsnake** · 0 upvotes

> thanks

**@furyxthor** · 0 upvotes

> Good To Know Thanks!

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---

Tags: [#shell](https://daily.dev/tags/shell)

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