$ touch
Create files or update file timestamps
DOCUMENTEDFiles & directoriesUbuntu 24.04 LTS baseline
Synopsis
touch [OPTION]... FILE...What it does
- `touch` changes access and/or modification times and creates a file when needed unless an option prevents creation.
- It does not erase existing file contents.
Examples
Create an empty file if it does not exist
touch notes.txtUpdate several files
touch one.txt two.txtImportant details
These examples are intentionally conservative. Command behavior can still depend on filesystem state, permissions, locale, shell, installed package version, and other system configuration.
For exact option semantics, the linked authoritative documentation is the source of truth.