How to Edit Files with Nano

Prerequisites

Before using nano, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS
• Write permissions for the file you want to edit

Step 1: Open a File with Nano

Connect to your VPS:

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

Open a file (creates new file if doesn't exist):

nano filename.txt

Open with sudo (for system files):

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Step 2: Basic Navigation

Once in nano:

• Arrow keys - Move cursor
• Page Up/Page Down - Scroll by page
• Home - Beginning of line
• End - End of line

Step 3: Editing Text

Just start typing to insert text.

Delete characters:

• Backspace - Delete character before cursor
• Delete - Delete character at cursor

Cut and paste:

• Ctrl+K - Cut current line
• Ctrl+U - Paste cut line
• Alt+6 - Copy line (then Ctrl+U to paste)

Step 4: Save and Exit

Ctrl+O - Save file (write out)

Press Enter to confirm filename.

Ctrl+X - Exit nano

If you haven't saved, nano will ask: "Save modified buffer?"

• Y - Yes, save then exit
• N - No, exit without saving
• Ctrl+C - Cancel, return to editing

Useful Nano Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+G	Help (lists all commands)
Ctrl+W	Search for text
Ctrl+	Search and replace
Ctrl+C	Show cursor position
Ctrl+_	Go to line number
Ctrl+T	Check spelling
Alt+U	Undo
Alt+E	Redo
Alt+A	Set mark (start selection)
Alt+6	Copy selected text

Working with Multiple Files

Open multiple files:

nano file1.txt file2.txt

Switch between files:

• Alt+, - Previous file
• Alt+. - Next file

Enable Line Numbers

To enable line numbers, press Alt+N (toggle on/off).

To permanently enable, create or edit ~/.nanorc:

echo "set linenumbers" >> ~/.nanorc

Syntax Highlighting

Nano includes syntax highlighting for many file types.

Enable by default:

echo "include /usr/share/nano/*.nanorc" >> ~/.nanorc

Common Editing Examples

Edit SSH configuration:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Edit hosts file:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Edit PHP configuration:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/cli/php.ini

Edit crontab:

crontab -e

Recover Unsaved Files

If your SSH session disconnects while editing:

Nano saves backups as filename.save

Check for saved files:

ls -la | grep .save

Recover:

nano filename.save

Create .nanorc Configuration

# ~/.nanorc - Nano configuration
set tabsize 4
set tabstospaces
set autoindent
set linenumbers
set nowrap
set smooth
set backups
set backupdir ~/.nano_backups

Create backup directory:

mkdir -p ~/.nano_backups

Search and Replace Example

1. Press Ctrl+
2. Enter search text (e.g., "olddomain.com")
3. Enter replacement text (e.g., "newdomain.com")
4. Press A to replace all, or Y/N for each match