Clear Screen — Picocom

This works without requiring any special support from the remote device and is shell-agnostic.

Unlike a standard shell (e.g., bash with clear or Ctrl+L ), picocom does not have a built-in screen-clearing command by default. Understanding why and how to work around this is key to a smooth serial debugging workflow. When you connect to a serial device using: picocom clear screen

# Quick reference: # Inside picocom: Ctrl+Z # In shell: clear # Back to picocom: fg This works without requiring any special support from

picocom /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 115200 You enter a pass-through terminal. Keystrokes are sent directly to the serial device, and incoming data is displayed on your screen. The usual terminal control sequences (like clear or Ctrl+L ) are not interpreted by picocom itself—they are passed to the remote device. Unless the remote device understands the escape sequence for clearing its own display (e.g., an embedded Linux shell or a microcontroller firmware that parses ANSI codes), pressing Ctrl+L will have no effect or may send an unexpected byte. When you connect to a serial device using:

Introduction picocom is a minimal, lightweight, and widely used serial terminal emulator for Linux and Unix-like systems. It’s a go-to tool for interacting with embedded devices, bootloaders, and microcontrollers via RS-232 or USB-to-serial adapters. Unlike full-featured tools like minicom or screen , picocom is intentionally sparse, making it fast and scriptable. However, one common question among new users is: How do I clear the screen in picocom?

If you’re interacting with a Linux-based embedded system over serial, simply typing clear on the remote shell will also work (since the remote shell interprets the command and emits the ANSI sequence). picocom does not have a dedicated clear-screen command, but clearing the screen is easily achieved by suspending the program, clearing the host terminal, and resuming. Understanding this distinction between local terminal control and serial pass-through is essential for efficient embedded development and debugging. While minimal, picocom remains a powerful tool—complemented by basic terminal knowledge.