What are the more and less Commands in Linux?
The more and less commands are used to view the contents of text files in a paginated manner. These commands are particularly useful for reading through large files without loading the entire content into memory at once.
Basic Syntax:
By default, both commands will display the contents of the file one screen at a time.
more:
more [option] [file]
less:
less [option] [file]
Options
- Options for
more
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -d | Prompt with “[Press space to continue, ‘q’ to quit.]” and display “[Press ‘h’ for instructions.]” instead of ringing the bell |
| -c | Clear the screen before displaying the next page |
| -s | Squeeze multiple blank lines into one |
| -u | Suppress underlining |
- Options for
less
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -N | Show line numbers |
| -S | Chop long lines instead of wrapping |
| -X | Disable termcap init/deinit codes |
| -F | Automatically exit if the entire file fits on one screen |
Additional Help
You can explore more by using the commands:
# more
more --help
# or
man more
# less
less --help
# or
man less
Thank you!
Thank you for your time and for reading this!