Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
What are the key hot keys for command line editing in Cisco IOS?
Tab completes, Up/Ctrl+P recalls history, Ctrl+A/Ctrl+E jump to start/end of line, Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Z exit to Privileged EXEC, and Ctrl+Shift+6 is the break sequence.
| Keystroke | Function |
|---|---|
| Tab | Completes a partial command name |
| Up Arrow or Ctrl+P | Recalls previous commands from history |
| Down Arrow | Scrolls forward through command history |
| Ctrl+A | Moves cursor to beginning of line |
| Ctrl+E | Moves cursor to end of line |
| Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Z | Exits configuration mode to privileged EXEC |
| Ctrl+Shift+6 | Break sequence (abort DNS lookups, pings, traceroutes) |
Go deeper:
Command-line interface (Wikipedia) — line-editing and history conventions (these IOS hot keys mirror the Emacs/readline bindings).