How do I create a Bash alias?

Question

I'm on OSX and I need to put something like this, alias blah="/usr/bin/blah" in a config file but I don't know where the config file is.

Tangentially, this particular alias is basically redundant unless you are specifically trying to override he shell's `PATH` resolution for this specific command. If `/usr/bin` is in your `PATH` (which really it must be) then `blah` will run from there just fine without this alias, too, unless there is also say `/usr/local/bin/blah` and `/usr/local/bin` is before `/usr/bin` in your `PATH` *but* you still want to prefer `/usr/bin/blah` and cannot for some reason simply remove or rename `/usr/local/bin/blah`. — tripleee, Jan 05 '18 at 05:49
Even then this is a dubious, hackish solution which should come with a big fat ugly comment with a warning message telling you how this will bite your shapely lower abdomen, and another saying "I told you so" for each time this happened. — tripleee, Jan 05 '18 at 05:55
For all the automation lovers: I personally add `addAlias() { echo "alias $1='$2' " >> ~/.bash_profile` to my bash_profile and then I source it and run `addAlias hi 'echo "hi" '` . Source bash profile and type `hi` to see it. — devssh, Jan 23 '18 at 07:35
Make sure to escape characters properly alias name=" echo "string" " is wrong, but alias name=" echo \"string\" " will be fine. — Michael Hearn, Nov 28 '22 at 21:36

score 322 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 14 '16 at 17:12

322

You can add an alias or a function in your startup script file. Usually this is .bashrc, .bash_login or .profile file in your home directory.

Since these files are hidden you will have to do an ls -a to list them. If you don't have one you can create one.

If I remember correctly, when I had bought my Mac, the .bash_login file wasn't there. I had to create it for myself so that I could put prompt info, alias, functions, etc. in it.

Here are the steps if you would like to create one:

Start up Terminal
Type cd ~/ to go to your home folder
Type touch .bash_profile to create your new file.
Edit .bash_profile with your favorite editor (or you can just type open -e .bash_profile to open it in TextEdit.
Type . .bash_profile to reload .bash_profile and update any alias you add.

edited Jan 14 '16 at 17:12

the Tin Man

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answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:19

jaypal singh

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Awesome, thanks @jaypal! Is the command `source .bash_profile` an alternative to step 5? – Ian Campbell Sep 03 '13 at 03:10
10

Yes on my OSX Mavericks there was no `.bash_profile` in my home dir. Creating it, adding the alias to it, and then initiating it with the `. .bash_profile` command worked. – Bradley Flood Jun 26 '14 at 01:27
1

.bash_profile works for me! :) .bashrc didn't on El Capitan – Parth Apr 20 '16 at 08:00
6

On OSX El Capitan `.bash_profile` works. If it doesn’t automatically load when you open a terminal window, it is probably because it was created without executable permission. This command will fix it and it should automatically load for future sessions: `chmod u+x .bash_profile` – Mischinab Jul 05 '16 at 13:09
1

.bash_profile profile is locked how can i update this file – amit gupta Jan 04 '17 at 06:52
Thanks! Worked on Mac OS Sierra. – Schw2iizer Sep 01 '17 at 15:23
To get aliases working on High Sierra, I had to add `source ~/.bashrc` to `.bash_profile`, as instructed here https://stackoverflow.com/a/902955/4039886 – klaevv Jul 10 '18 at 07:27
Just a little comment here. You need to close entirely your terminal and reopen to make it work properly – Jean Manzo Sep 12 '20 at 14:25
A little bit of additional information on the above, If you want to add your aliases in the .bashrc file, make sure you add "source .bashrc" in the .bash_profile file and reload it after adding. – Mythili Oct 05 '21 at 05:06
Just in case it's still not working, restarting the tab alone won't work, we have to restart the terminal - For Dumbos like me :) – Panduranga Rao Sadhu Dec 20 '21 at 06:18
This no longer works, should create `.zshrc` file – Jalal Sep 03 '22 at 12:03

score 78 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 25 '21 at 07:21

78

I just open zshrc with sublime, and edit it.

subl .zshrc

And add this on sublime:

alias blah="/usr/bin/blah"

Run this command in terminal:

source ~/.zshrc

Done.

edited Aug 25 '21 at 07:21

sak18

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answered May 05 '16 at 14:34

Gui Yoshi

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This is confused. If your shell is Bash, many other answers on this page are more detailed and helpful. If you use Zsh instead of Bash, then obviously you should `source .zshrc` at the end to load in the changes you made into your currently running shell instance. – tripleee Jan 05 '18 at 05:41

wordsforthewise · Answer 3 · 2020-07-20T19:06:04.637

MacOS Catalina and Above

Apple switched their default shell to zsh, so the config files include ~/.zshenv and ~/.zshrc. This is just like ~/.bashrc, but for zsh. Just edit the file and add what you need; it should be sourced every time you open a new terminal window:

nano ~/.zshenv alias py=python

Then do ctrl+x, y, then enter to save.

This file seems to be executed no matter what (login, non-login, or script), so seems better than the ~/.zshrc file.

High Sierra and earlier

The default shell is bash, and you can edit the file ~/.bash_profile and add aliases:

nano ~/.bash_profile alias py=python

Then ctrl+x, y, and enter to save. See this post for more on these configs. It's a little better to set it up with your alias in ~/.bashrc, then source ~/.bashrc from ~/.bash_profile. In ~/.bash_profile it would then look like:

source ~/.bashrc

This should be higher now that Catalina is the most up to date Mac OS — Cauder, Jul 11 '20 at 18:49

score 33 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:31

33

On OS X you want to use ~/.bash_profile. This is because by default Terminal.app opens a login shell for each new window.

See more about the different configuration files and when they are used here: What's the difference between .bashrc, .bash_profile, and .environment?

and in relation to OSX here: About .bash_profile, .bashrc, and where should alias be written in?

edited May 23 '17 at 10:31

Community

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answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:25

Mike Gardiner

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score 21 · Answer 5 · answered Jan 23 '12 at 07:18

21

In my .bashrc file the following lines were there by default:

# Alias definitions.
# You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like
# ~/.bash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly.
# See /usr/share/doc/bash-doc/examples in the bash-doc package.

if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
    . ~/.bash_aliases
fi

Hence, in my platform .bash_aliases is the file used for aliases by default (and the one I use). I'm not an OS X user, but I guess that if you open your .bashrc file, you'll be able to identify what's the file commonly used for aliases in your platform.

answered Jan 23 '12 at 07:18

jcollado

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If the profile doesn’t automatically load when you open a terminal window, it is probably missing the executable permission. This command will fix it and it should automatically load for future sessions: `chmod u+x .bash_profile` – Mischinab Jul 05 '16 at 13:13
1

@Mischinab No, the file just needs to be readable in order for Bash to read it as its configuration file. Making it executable is technically harmless but unnecessary. I would discourage it on nontechnical grounds (you might end up confusing yourself and/or others). – tripleee Jan 05 '18 at 05:45

ultimatum · Answer 6 · 2021-11-09T16:51:07.603

17

It works for me on macOS Mojave

You can do a few simple steps:

open terminal
sudo nano /.bash_profile
add your aliases, as example:

some aliases

alias ll='ls -alF' alias la='ls -A' alias eb="sudo nano ~/.bash_profile && source ~/.bash_profile" #docker aliases alias d='docker' alias dc='docker-compose' alias dnax="docker rm $(docker ps -aq)" #git aliases alias g='git' alias new="git checkout -b" alias last="git log -2" alias gg='git status' alias lg="git log --pretty=format:'%h was %an, %ar, message: %s' --graph" alias nah="git reset --hard && git clean -df" alias squash="git rebase -i HEAD~2"
source /.bash_profile

Done. Use and enjoy!

edited Nov 09 '21 at 16:51

answered Feb 26 '19 at 10:18

ultimatum

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My aliases do not work with double dashes -- in case of git. How did you get them to work? For example your `alias lg` has double dashes. I'm trying to set `alias stash="git stash --include-untracked"` but when I call it in terminal it ignores the -- command. – Ali Kazi Jul 31 '20 at 01:34
what is "Majave"? Do you mean Mojave? – Nirvana Nov 03 '21 at 19:12
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Yes Mojave, thanks – ultimatum Nov 09 '21 at 16:52
Just in case it's still not working, restarting the tab alone won't work, we have to restart the terminal - For Dumbos like me :) – Panduranga Rao Sadhu Dec 20 '21 at 06:17

score 12 · Answer 7 · answered Jun 27 '20 at 03:37

12

For macOS Catalina Users:

Step 1: create or update .zshrc file

vi ~/.zshrc

Step 2: Add your alias line

alias blah="/usr/bin/blah"

Step 3: Source .zshrc

source ~/.zshrc

Step 4: Check you're alias, by typing alias on the command prompt

alias

answered Jun 27 '20 at 03:37

Shirish Singh

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score 9 · Answer 8 · edited Feb 21 '16 at 20:56

9

cd /etc
sudo vi bashrc

Add the following like:

alias ll="ls -lrt"

Finally restart Terminal.

edited Feb 21 '16 at 20:56

António Ribeiro

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answered Feb 21 '16 at 20:06

user3613987

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After adding alias. Run 'source' on your '.bash_profile' file. Ex: source ~/.bash_profile (command which activates/ reloads the bash aliases) – UIResponder Jul 10 '17 at 13:01

kmikael · Answer 9 · 2018-01-28T01:55:18.660

7

The config file for scripts and programs is ~/.bashrc and the config file that gets loaded when you use Terminal is ~/.bash_login.

I think the best way is to just have everything in ~/.bashrc.

For your specific question just enter (this will overwrite any existing ~/.bashrc):

echo "alias blah=\"/usr/bin/blah\"" >>~/.bashrc

into the Terminal and a ~/.bashrc file will be created with your new alises. After that just edit the file to add new aliases, functions, settings etc.

edited Jan 28 '18 at 01:55

answered Jan 23 '12 at 15:22

kmikael

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Shouldn't you use `>>` instead of `>` so that it appends to the file rather than replacing everything in it? – Jonny Apr 09 '17 at 21:41

pvrforpranavvr · Answer 10 · 2018-01-13T17:42:54.540

6

Go to home
Open .bashrc

Create alias at bottom of the file

alias alias_name='command to do'
eg: alias cdDesktop='cd /Desktop'

Save the file
source .bashrc
```
source ~/.bashrc
```
Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) & type cdDesktop & press enter

edited Jan 13 '18 at 17:42

answered Jan 05 '18 at 05:35

pvrforpranavvr

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score 4 · Answer 11 · answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:18

4

If you put blah="/usr/bin/blah" in your ~/.bashrc then you can use $blah in your login shell as a substitute for typing /usr/bin/blah

answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:18

SiegeX

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The dollar sign is emphatically not in any way necessary, useful, or correct here. – tripleee Jan 05 '18 at 05:48

score 3 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:19

3

You probably want to edit the .bashrc file in your home directory.

answered Jan 23 '12 at 06:19

ghoti

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score 2 · Answer 13 · answered Nov 02 '20 at 06:19

I need to run the Postgres database and created an alias for the purpose. The work through is provided below:

$ nano ~/.bash_profile 

# in the bash_profile, insert the following texts:

alias pgst="pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres start"
alias pgsp="pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres stop"


$ source ~/.bash_profile 

### This will start the Postgres server 
$ pgst

### This will stop the Postgres server 
$ pgsp

score 1 · Answer 14 · answered Jun 05 '19 at 16:23

create a bash_profile at your user root - ex

/user/username/.bash_profile

open file

vim ~/.bash_profile

add alias as ex. (save and exit)

alias mydir="cd ~/Documents/dirname/anotherdir"

in new terminal just type mydir - it should open

/user/username/Documents/dirname/anotherdir

score 0 · Answer 15 · edited Jun 28 '20 at 09:37

To create a permanent alias shortcut, put it in .bash_profile file and point .bashrc file to .bash_profile file. Follow these steps (I am creating an alias command called bnode to run babel transpiler on ES6 code):

Go to terminal command prompt and type “cd” (this will take you to the home directory. Note: even though your programming files may be located on your “D: drive”, your “.bash” files may be located on your “C: drive” )
To see the location of the home directory, type “pwd” (this will show you the home directory path and where the .bash files are probably located)
To see all dot "." files in the home directory, type “ls -la” (this will show ALL files including hidden dot "." files)
You will see 2 files: “.bash_profile” and “.bashrc”
Open .bashrc file in VS Code Editor or your IDE and enter “source ~/.bash_profile” in first line (to point .bashrc file to .bash_profile)
Open .bash_profile file in VS Code Editor and enter “alias bnode='./node_modules/.bin/babel-node'” (to create permanent bnode shortcut to execute as bash command)
Save and close both files
Now open the file you want to execute (index.js) and open in terminal command prompt and run file by using command “bnode index.js”
Now your index.js file will execute but before creating bnode alias in .bash_profile file you would get the error "bash: bnode command not found" and it would not recognize and give errors on some ES6 code.
Helpful link to learn about dotfiles: https://dotfiles.github.io/

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Nike Kov · Answer 16 · 2019-04-29T14:33:50.550

I think it's proper way:

1) Go to teminal. open ~/.bashrc. Add if not exists

if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
    . ~/.bash_aliases
fi

2) open ~/.bash_aliases. If not exists: touch ~/.bash_aliases && open ~/.bash_aliases

3) To add new alias rather
- edit .bash_aliases file and restart terminal or print source ~/.bash_aliases
- print echo "alias clr='clear'" >> ~/.bash_aliases && source ~/.bash_aliases where your alias is alias clr='clear'.

4) Add line source ~/.bash_aliases to ~/.bash_profile file. It needs to load aliases in each init of terminal.

How do I create a Bash alias?

16 Answers16

MacOS Catalina and Above

High Sierra and earlier

It works for me on macOS Mojave

some aliases

I think it's proper way:

Linked

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