DECSET 1048 — Save / restore cursor

CSI ? 1048 h saves the cursor position (and attributes), exactly like DECSC (ESC 7); CSI ? 1048 l restores it, like DECRC (ESC 8). It exists so the save/restore can be combined with alt-screen switching (1047) — and 1049 is precisely 1047 + 1048 in one mode.

terminal-dec-private-mode kind control-sequence status de-facto verification verified tier B terminal-escape@1

frame

DEC-private-mode introducer: \x1b[? ESC [ ? (0x1B 0x5B 0x3F)

terminator (none): ST · BEL

parameters / subcommands

id	name	bytes (ST)	meaning
set	Enable (DECSET)	\x1b[?1048h	CSI ? 1048 h saves the cursor position and attributes (equivalent to DECSC / ESC 7).
reset	Disable (DECRST)	\x1b[?1048l	CSI ? 1048 l restores the saved cursor position and attributes (equivalent to DECRC / ESC 8).

gotchas

1048 is functionally DECSC/DECRC (ESC 7 / ESC 8) expressed as a private mode; it saves/restores cursor position and graphic state.
1048 uses the SAME save slot as DECSC, so it can clash if you also use ESC 7/8 around it.
Combine 1048 with 1047 (alt-screen clear-on-exit) to get safe alt-screen entry/exit — or just use 1049 which is 1047+1048.
Restoring (?1048l) without a prior save behaves like DECRC with no save (typically homes the cursor).
For most TUIs, DECSET 1049 is the right single mode; 1048 is mainly a building block.

provenance

source: https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ctlseqs/ctlseqs.html
version: xterm ctlseqs, patch #410, 2026/04/19
retrieved: 2026-05-29 · updated: 2026-05-29T00:00:00Z

per-fact attribution:

#summary — https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ctlseqs/ctlseqs.html xterm ctlseqs: Ps = 1 0 4 8 -> Save cursor as in DECSC (when set) / Restore cursor as in DECRC (when reset).

DECSET 1048 — Save / restore cursor

frame

parameters / subcommands

gotchas

provenance

see also