reset Command Cheat Sheet

reset initializes the terminal. It is the ultimate "fix-it" button when your terminal starts printing gibberish.

Synopsis

reset

Why use it?

If you accidentally cat a binary file, your terminal might start showing weird characters, drawing lines instead of letters, or stop echoing what you type.

The Fix

reset

If you can't see what you are typing, just type reset blindly and press Enter.

Alternatives

tput reset

Uses the terminal capability database to reset.

tput reset

clear

clear only clears the screen buffer; it does not fix a corrupted terminal state (e.g., charset issues). reset does both.

echo $'\033c'

Sends the RIS (Reset to Initial State) escape code directly.

echo -e "\033c"

Notes

• reset is often a link to tset.
• It sets the terminal type, tab stops, and restores canonical input mode (echo, line processing).