touch - Create/Update Files in Linux

From the Linux Essential Commands cheat sheet · File & Directory Operations · verified Jul 2026

Create empty files or update timestamps

bash

# Create empty file
touch newfile.txt

# Create multiple files
touch file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

# Update timestamp only
touch existing_file.txt

✅ Creates file if it does not exist

💡 Updates access and modification times on existing files

🔍 Useful for creating placeholder files quickly

filescreatebasic

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