How to create a text file

Overview

touch creates an empty file if it does not exist; otherwise it updates timestamps. Redirection can create a file while writing command output into it.

Examples

touch notes.txt
printf '%s\n' 'First note' > notes.txt
printf '%s\n' 'Another note' >> notes.txt
cat notes.txt

Choose a method

• touch file creates an empty placeholder
• > creates or overwrites a file
• >> appends without removing existing content
• nano file is better for interactive multi-line editing

Safety

Redirection with > replaces existing contents without confirmation. Check the destination name first and use >> only when appending is intended.