What does ~ mean in a Linux shell?

Question

I'm new to Linux and have been seeing this often. Could someone explain the concept here?

~/.somefilename

What does the ~ (tilde) signify?

score 21 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 13 '12 at 06:48

21

The ~ (tilde) is a quick way of specifying your home directory.

The ~/.somefilename means your home directory, the file .somefilename.

edited Sep 13 '12 at 06:48

slhck

235,242

answered Sep 12 '12 at 23:09

Lipongo

487

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 12 '12 at 23:10

The tilde ~ character is interpreted by most shells as the "home directory" for you. The "." doesn't mean anything if it's part of a filename, although some programs such as ls will (unless explicitely told otherwise) not show files if their name starts with a "dot". Sort of a "hidden" attribute.

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 03 '13 at 01:34

3

Tilde originally shared the same space on the HOME key of certain keyboards and by association still means home directory.

answered Dec 03 '13 at 01:34

pear

31
1

What does ~ mean in a Linux shell?

3 Answers3