How to Set Up a Bash Alias In Linux

A bash alias maps a short keyword to a longer shell command. Type less, run the same thing. Any command you repeat multiple times per session is a candidate — and setting one up takes under a minute.

How to Create a Bash Alias

The syntax is straightforward:

alias SHORTCUT="FULL COMMAND"

No spaces around the = sign. A typical example that maps ll to a detailed file listing:

alias ll="ls -l"

Run this in the terminal and ll works immediately. Close the window, and the alias disappears. That’s fine for testing — once you confirm it works, you can make it permanent.

Because a bash alias substitutes its name with the underlying command, you can append extra flags after it. ll -a expands to ls -l -a. You can also shadow an existing command by giving the alias the same name: alias ls="ls -F" appends a file-type symbol to every ls call going forward.

How to Make a Bash Alias Permanent

Aliases defined in the terminal are session-only. To load them every time you open a shell, add them to a startup configuration file. Two files handle this:

File	Loaded During	Best For
~/.bash_profile	Interactive login sessions	Aliases and functions used while logged in
~/.bashrc	Non-login and subshell sessions	Aliases needed in scripts or spawned shells

After editing either file, activate the changes in the current session:

source ~/.bash_profile

To append an alias without opening an editor, use shell redirection:

echo 'alias ll="ls -l"' >> ~/.bash_profile

When you need your PATH configured alongside your aliases, both go in the same file — order within the file generally does not matter for either.

Chaining Multiple Commands in One Bash Alias

Join commands with && to run them in sequence. Each step only fires if the previous one succeeds. A common Git shortcut:

alias gpm="cd $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) && git checkout main && git pull"

This moves to the repository root, switches to main, and pulls — all from one short keyword. The $() syntax embeds executable statements inside the alias.

Practical Bash Alias Examples for Faster Workflows

Navigation

alias ..="cd .."
alias ...="cd ../.."
alias ....="cd ../../.."

These become second nature fast. Pair them with the gt alias below for getting around a project quickly.

Git shortcuts

alias gt="cd $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
alias gs="git status"
alias ga="git add ."

gt jumps to the project root from wherever you are. Keep alias names two to three characters — short enough to type reflexively. Understanding what the git stash command does helps when you want to alias multi-step save-and-switch operations too.

Process monitoring

alias cpu="top -o cpu"
alias mem="top -o rsize"

Shell config editing

alias bp="vim ~/.bash_profile"

Useful once your alias collection grows. One command to open and edit the file directly.

Utility shortcuts

alias cpwd='pwd|tr -d "\n"|pbcopy'
alias ip="curl icanhazip.com"
alias rmdbc="find . -name \"*(*'s conflicted copy*)*\" -exec rm {} \;"

cpwd copies the current directory path to the clipboard on macOS. ip checks your public IP. rmdbc removes Dropbox conflict files recursively.

When to Use a Shell Function Instead of a Bash Alias

An alias only appends arguments at the end. When you need to place an argument at a specific position in the command, a shell function handles it better:

gg() {
  git commit -v -a -m "$*"
}

The $* token captures all arguments as a single string. Running gg fix login bug expands to git commit -v -a -m "fix login bug" — no manual quoting needed. You can learn more about how the shell processes these constructs from the bash built-in reference.

Inside a function, $1 refers to the first argument, $2 to the second, and so on. This lets you insert arguments mid-command — something a regular alias cannot do.

Feature	Bash Alias	Shell Function
Accepts trailing arguments	Yes	Yes
Inserts arguments mid-command	No	Yes
Stored in startup files	Yes	Yes
Handles conditional logic	No	Yes

Store functions in the same file as your aliases. They load automatically on every new session. If your collection grows large, a dedicated ~/.bash_aliases file keeps things cleaner — source it from ~/.bashrc with one line.

Removing a Bash Alias

Use unalias to remove one by name:

unalias ll

This removes it from the current session. To stop it loading permanently, delete the corresponding line from your ~/.bash_profile or ~/.bashrc as well. Running alias with no arguments lists every active alias currently defined in the session.

Using Bash Aliases in Shell Scripts

Aliases are not expanded in non-interactive scripts by default. To enable alias expansion inside a script, add this line near the top:

shopt -s expand_aliases

After that, any alias defined in the script body works as expected. This approach lets you reuse shorthand inside automated tasks. For more on how scripts execute in Linux, the shell script execution guide covers permissions and interpreter options in full. Text processing inside those scripts often relies on tools like bash cut to parse output before passing it along.