# touch — Create Files and Set Timestamps > Create empty files or update file access and modification timestamps. Essential for creating placeholder files, triggering build systems, and managing file metadata. Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/touch/ touch does two things: it creates empty files and it updates the timestamps of existing files – the access time (atime) and the modification time (mtime). If the file does not exist yet, it is created empty; if it already exists, its contents are left untouched and only the timestamps move to "now". That makes touch the go-to tool for placeholders like `.gitkeep`, for health-check markers in containers, and for nudging build systems such as make into rebuilding. This guide covers creating files, setting specific timestamps, and common real-world patterns. ## Create Files `touch ` — Create an empty file (or update timestamp if it exists). ```bash touch newfile.txt ``` `touch ` — Create multiple files at once. ```bash touch index.html style.css script.js ``` `touch -c ` — Update timestamp only if file exists (do not create). ```bash touch -c maybe-exists.txt ``` ## Set Specific Timestamps `touch -t ` — Set a specific date and time. ```bash touch -t 202601011200 file.txt ``` `touch -t ` — Set date, time and seconds. ```bash touch -t 202601011200.30 file.txt ``` `touch -d '' ` — Set timestamp using a human-readable date string. ```bash touch -d '2026-01-15 14:30:00' file.txt ``` `touch -d 'next Monday' ` — Set timestamp using relative date expressions. ```bash touch -d 'next Monday' reminder.txt ``` `touch -d '-2 days' ` — Set timestamp to 2 days ago. ```bash touch -d '-2 days' oldfile.txt ``` ## Modify Specific Timestamps `touch -a ` — Update only the access time (atime). ```bash touch -a data.log ``` `touch -m ` — Update only the modification time (mtime). ```bash touch -m config.yaml ``` `touch -r ` — Set timestamp to match another file's timestamp. ```bash touch -r original.txt copy.txt ``` `touch -a -d '' ` — Set a specific access time. ```bash touch -a -d '2026-06-01' data.csv ``` ## Common Patterns `touch .gitkeep` — Create a placeholder to keep an empty directory in Git. ```bash mkdir -p logs && touch logs/.gitkeep ``` `touch -r ` — Synchronize timestamps between files. ```bash touch -r photo.jpg photo_edited.jpg ``` `find . -name '*.txt' -exec touch {} +` — Update timestamps of all matching files. ```bash find . -name '*.cache' -exec touch {} + ``` `touch /tmp/.healthcheck` — Create a health-check marker file (common in Docker). ```bash touch /tmp/.healthcheck ``` `touch -d '1970-01-01' ` — Set timestamp to Unix epoch (force rebuild in build systems). ```bash touch -d '1970-01-01' Makefile ``` ## Conclusion touch is unassuming but surprisingly versatile in daily work: the fastest way to create empty files and the simplest way to manipulate timestamps deliberately. With `-t` and `-d` you set date and time absolutely or relatively, with `-a`/`-m` you change only the access or modification time, and with `-r` you copy the time from a reference file. This is especially handy with build systems like make, which base their decisions on mtime – a targeted touch forces or prevents a rebuild. Keep in mind that touch never empties an existing file: it only changes metadata, never the contents. ## Further Reading - [GNU coreutils: touch invocation](https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/touch-invocation.html) – official reference for every option - [Linux man page: touch(1)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/touch.1.html) – the canonical manual page ## Related Commands - [mkdir](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/mkdir/) – create directories - [stat](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/stat/) – show a file's timestamps and metadata - [ls](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/ls/) – list directory contents and timestamps