How to Re-Run the Last Command While Replacing Syntax or Typos

If you’ve ever entered a lengthy command into the terminal and upon execution discovered a syntax error, a “no such file or directory”, or “command not found” message because you made a typo, you’ll love this quick tip that lets you rerun the last executed command while replacing the erroneous syntax. You’ll need to be using the default bash shell for this to work.


The general syntax to use is as follows:

!!:gs/old/new

!! runs the last command again, while :gs/old/new replaces instances of the text “old” with “new” within the last command.

For example, here’s a simple change directory command with an error in the path:

cd /System/Library/CoerServices/Dock.app/Contents/

Notice “CoerServices” should be “CoreServices”, but rather than type out the entire command and path again, you can enter the following:

!!:gs/Coer/Core/

And suddenly you’re in the proper directory.

This is obviously extremely useful when you’ve discovered errors floating in command line syntax somewhere, but it’s also perfect for toggling settings on and off through things like defaults write commands by replacing “no” with “yes” and so forth:

!!:gs/no/yes

You can also place sudo in front of !! to run the previous command as root.

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