Do you know that there's a Linux keyboard shortcut that gives you quick access to all your software and some useful commands? It's like a portable command line, and it's probably already built into the Linux distro that you use. Just hit Alt and F2 at the same time, and you'll discover what I'm talking about.

Most long-time Linux users might already be familiar with Linux keyboard shortcuts, but new Linux converts might not have discovered this simple shortcut yet. Well, they should because once you start using it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

What’s So Special About This Shortcut?

The Alt + F2 keyboard combination is indispensable for Linux users. Whether you want to force-quit a hanging application, quickly launch your favorite program, or perform any other task that you can think of, Alt + F2 is there to ease the task for you.

This keyboard shortcut works by default on all Linux distributions that use GNOME, KDE, or Xfce desktop environments. Not sure what any of that means? No worries, as you are probably using one of them.

Learn More: What's the Difference Between Linux Distributions If They're All Linux?

We've already highlighted this shortcut on Ubuntu keyboard shortcuts you might not know but in brief. Let's check out what this shortcut can do in detail.

Practical Uses of the Alt + F2 Shortcut

When you press Alt and F2 on your keyboard, you'll see a humble window.

krunner shortcut in kde

It might look slightly different depending on your Linux distribution. One thing is for sure though: start typing the name of a program and you'll see results quickly.

Using brave browser shortcut on krunner

Using this keyboard shortcut to launch programs requires you to know their command name, but it's usually fairly obvious as most commands are a variation or exact match of their application name. Just type the name of the program, without caps in most cases.

As shown above, a handy auto-complete feature will assist you with a list of programs related to the letters you've typed already. This can make typing certain commands very quick; type brave, for example, and all the installed versions of Brave browser will come up.

Using krunner to install software

You can launch any program in this way; you just need to know the command for that specific program. In addition to opening programs, you can perform mathematical calculations, install applications from the Software Center, search for files and folders on your machine, and much more depending upon the Linux distribution you're running.

Using krunner to calculate using kcalc

Use this shortcut to launch programs for a while and you'll quickly realize how faster it is when compared to manually finding and opening the program from the Applications Menu. Apart from launching programs, you can even use this shortcut for other tasks.

Some Awesome Commands to Try

Yes, there's a bit more you can do with Alt + F2. For example, should you want to kill a certain program, try typing xkill. This command will give you a cursor that you can use to force quit any program by clicking on it, which is perfect when a piece of software hangs on you.

kill programs using alt f2

Alternatively, you could try the killall command. Type killall followed by the name of the program you want to kill and hit Enter. For example, to kill the Dolphin file browser, type killall dolphin, and the system will forcibly shut down the program.

Enjoy a Fruitful Linux Experience

Alt + F2 is a great Linux shortcut that should be implemented on Windows and OS X as well. You can also use Synapse app launcher or GNOME Do, especially if you use Ubuntu.

When you want to launch software quickly, this keyboard shortcut delivers. Want to be more productive with Linux? The Linux terminal will be a perfect blend with this keyboard shortcut. Knowing shortcuts and key combinations for the Linux terminal can help you in becoming an advanced power user.