TBC — Tab Clear (CSI g)

Clear one or all tab stops, changing where HT and CBT land.

Byte forms

Every common string-literal form so you can paste-and-search either direction.

\\x1b[\x1b[g (clear current) \x1b[3g (clear all)

\\033[\033[g / \033[3g

\\e[\e[g / \e[3g

ESC [ESC [ Ps g

hex1b 5b <Ps> 67

Description

Tabulation Clear. Final byte `g` (0x67); the parameter selects scope: `0` (default, also when omitted) = clear the tab stop AT the current column, `3` = clear ALL tab stops. Pair with HTS (`\x1bH`, ESC H) which SETS a tab stop at the current column. Default tab stops sit every 8 columns; once you `\x1b[3g` them all, HT (`\t`) does nothing until you set new ones. This matters for tabular CLI output (`column`, `pr`, `expand`), forms-style TUIs, and any app emitting `\t` for layout — clear the default 8-column grid, then place HTS stops at the actual field boundaries.

Spec citation: ECMA-48 §8.3.154 (TBC)

Parameters

0	clear tab stop at current column
3	clear ALL tab stops

Examples

bash

printf '\033[3g'      # clear all tab stops\nprintf '\033H'        # set a tab stop here (HTS, ESC H)

python

import sys; sys.stdout.write('\x1b[3g')

fmt.Print("\x1b[3g")

javascript

process.stdout.write('\x1b[3g')

printf("\x1b[3g");

Terminal support

xterm: yes
Linux console (fbcon): yes
macOS Terminal.app: yes
iTerm2: yes
Windows Terminal: yes
cmd.exe / ConPTY: partial
kitty: yes
alacritty: yes
WezTerm: yes
Ghostty: yes
GNOME Terminal: yes
Konsole: yes
tmux: no
GNU screen: no

xterm	Linux console (fbcon)	macOS Terminal.app	iTerm2	Windows Terminal	cmd.exe / ConPTY	kitty	alacritty	WezTerm	Ghostty	GNOME Terminal	Konsole	tmux	GNU screen
yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	partial	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no

Related sequences

In the family cookbook

ESC cookbook · 2. Tab stops — `\x1bH` (HTS) sets, `\x1b[g` (TBC) clears