faq-detail

How do I set my backspace key?

Sometimes you may get the ^? character when hitting the backspace key.
There are several different ways to set your backspace key when this happens

Type CTRL-h instead of using backspace
Since backspace works at the command line, you will can set it using the following:

At command line, type:

CTRL-V and the backspace character

You should see something like:
```
stty erase ^?
```
The next time you run mail, it should take the change. However, when you log out, the backspace will be re-set.
To make the change permanent, you will need to edit your login script.

First, find out what shell you are running by typing the following at a command line:
```
echo $SHELL
```
For bash, edit the .bashrc file

For csh, edit the .cshrc file

Use your favorite text editor and append the line
```
stty erase ^?
```
to the end, using the same method above (CTRL-v + Backspace )

Then, either log out/in or re-read the login script by doing the following:

At the prompt, type:
```
source ~/.bashrc
```
or
```
source ~/.cshrc
```
Monday, January 3rd 2005

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