touch

Lesson in the Shell / Bash Roadmap · Stage 9: Stop Execution

Last updated 14 September 2026

What is touch?

The touch command is a fundamental utility used to update the access and modification times of files and directories. If a file doesn't exist, touch creates an empty file with the specified name. It's commonly used to create new, empty files or to quickly update the timestamps of existing files without modifying their content.

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Free resources to learn touch

touch: common questions

Can I learn touch in Hindi?

This lesson is written in English. Once you sign in, open it in the interactive course and ask the AI tutor to explain touch in Hindi or Hinglish. The tutor answers from this lesson’s own text, so it stays on the syllabus, and it runs on your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key.

Is this touch tutorial for beginners?

It is lesson 33 of 166 in the free Shell / Bash roadmap, in stage 9, Stop Execution. If you are new to Shell / Bash, start from stage 1 and come back here in order; if you already know the earlier stages, this lesson stands on its own.