Add new line character at the end of file in bash

Question

How can I use bash command line to add new line character at the end of file named file.txt. I tried use echo but it's not right. Can you show me how can I do it?

Solution 1

echo "" >> file.txt

Adds a newline character at the end

Solution 2

With sed:

sed -i '' -e '$a\' file.txt

with echo:

echo  >> file.txt

Solution 3

Use Vi which automatically creates EOL at EOF on file save.

For example:

vi -escwq foo.txt

or:

ex -scwq foo.txt

To correct multiple files, check: How to fix 'No newline at end of file' for lots of files? at SO

Solution 4

GNU bash, version 3.2.57(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin14)

echo \ >> file.txt

Solution 5

This worked for me.

sed -i -z 's/$/\n/g' file.txt

View more solutions

Comments

[twalberg]

I don't think that awk one is right. That will create a file for each line of file.txt that is named after the contents of that line, and containing a single newline...

[T. Brian Jones]

Extremely simple and extremely fast, even on very large files. >> seems to always be fast for appending.

[Anthony Geoghegan]

That adds a space character as well as a line-feed character.

[jusopi]

ah yes, you're right. It appends the space to the line before the new line. Good catch.

[Boris Verkhovskiy]

echo >> file.txt works too, you don't need the "" part.

[CervEd]

sed -i '$a\' file.txt is sufficient

[villasv]

@CervEd -i '' is for Mac users, -i for everyone else