# Linux commands: touch

> Learn how the Linux touch command creates a new empty file, and how running it on a file that already exists just updates that file's modification timestamp.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2020-09-02 | Topics: [CLI](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/cli/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/linux-command-touch/

You can create an empty file using the `touch` command:

```bash
touch apple
```

If the file already exists, it opens the file in write mode, and the timestamp of the file is updated.

> This command works on Linux, macOS, WSL, and anywhere you have a UNIX environment