touch

Additional Notes

touch creates an empty file if it does not exist. If the file already exists, it updates the file's access and modification timestamps.

It is often used to quickly create placeholder files or refresh timestamps for build systems and scripts.

Syntax

touch [options] file...

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how touch behaves.
• path: File or directory path to inspect or change.
• arguments: Names, patterns, or values used by the command.

Common Options

• -a: Change only access time.
• -m: Change only modification time.
• -c, --no-create: Do not create missing files.
• -d TEXT: Use a date/time string.
• -t STAMP: Use timestamp format [[CC]YY]MMDDhhmm[.ss].
• -r FILE: Copy timestamps from another file.

Examples

touch notes.txt

Create notes.txt if missing, or update its timestamps.

touch file1 file2 file3

Create or update multiple files.

touch -c existing.txt

Update timestamp only if the file already exists.

touch -d "2026-06-08 10:30" report.txt

Set a specific timestamp.

touch -r old.txt new.txt

Copy timestamps from old.txt to new.txt.

Practical Notes

• touch does not edit file contents.
• Use stat file to inspect timestamps.
• Build tools sometimes use timestamps to decide what needs rebuilding.
• To create a file and write content, use an editor, redirection, or printf.