`sed` command

Edit text in a stream: replace, delete or insert lines.

Text processing
Package sed
8 options · 10 examples

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Syntax
Common options
Examples
Tips
Guides
Related commands

Syntax

sed [options] 'script' [file…]

Provided by the sed package. Run man sed for the full manual.

Common options

Option	What it does
`-i`	Edit files in place
`-i.bak`	Edit in place and keep a backup
`-n`	Print only lines you ask for with p
`-E`	Extended regular expressions
`-e SCRIPT`	Add several commands
`s/old/new/g`	Replace every match on each line
`/pattern/d`	Delete matching lines
`Np`	Print line N (with -n)

Examples

Replace text and print the result
```
sed 's/http:/https:/g' urls.txt
```
Replace in the file itself
```
sed -i 's/old/new/g' config.txt
```
Replace and keep a backup
```
sed -i.bak 's/8080/9090/' app.conf
```
Delete lines containing a word
```
sed -i '/DEBUG/d' app.log
```
Delete blank lines
```
sed -i '/^$/d' file.txt
```
Delete the first line
```
sed -i '1d' data.csv
```
Print lines 10 to 20
```
sed -n '10,20p' file.txt
```
Insert a line before line 3
```
sed -i '3i new line' file.txt
```

Uncomment a line

sed -i 's/^#\(PermitRootLogin\)/\1/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Use another delimiter for paths
```
sed 's|/var/www|/srv/www|g' site.conf
```

Tips

On macOS, sed -i needs an argument: sed -i '' 's/a/b/' file.

sed guides

How to Use the Sed Command to Replace String in Files Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
How to Remove Lines with Specific Text using SED Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
Sed Command in Linux with 15 Practical Examples Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
Sed Command to Delete Lines in a File Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
Sed – Uncommenting Lines in a Text File Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
How to replace newline (\n) with space using sed Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025
How to Replace First Line in a File using Sed Linux Commands · Updated Apr 2025

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