How to Use the cut Command in Linux: Syntax and Examples

The cut command in Linux extracts sections from each line of input based on bytes, characters, or fields. Use options like -b for bytes, -c for characters, and -f with -d to specify fields separated by delimiters.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the cut command is:

• cut [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Common options:

• -b LIST: Select only bytes from each line.
• -c LIST: Select only characters from each line.
• -f LIST: Select only fields (columns) from each line.
• -d DELIM: Use DELIM as the field delimiter (default is tab).

The LIST specifies which bytes, characters, or fields to extract. It can be a single number, a range (e.g., 1-4), or a comma-separated list (e.g., 1,3,5).

bash

cut -b LIST [FILE]
cut -c LIST [FILE]
cut -f LIST -d DELIM [FILE]

Example

This example shows how to extract the first 5 characters from each line of a file named sample.txt. It also shows how to extract the second field separated by a comma.

bash

echo -e "apple,red\nbanana,yellow\ncherry,red" > sample.txt
cut -c 1-5 sample.txt
cut -f 2 -d , sample.txt

Output

apple
banan
cherr
red
yellow
red

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using cut include:

• Using -f without specifying the correct delimiter with -d, which defaults to tab.
• Confusing byte positions (-b) with character positions (-c), especially with multibyte characters.
• Not quoting or escaping special characters in delimiters.

Example of wrong and right usage:

bash

echo "one,two,three" | cut -f 2
# Output is empty because default delimiter is tab

echo "one,two,three" | cut -f 2 -d ,
# Correct output: two

Output

two

Quick Reference

Option	Description	Example
-b LIST	Select bytes	cut -b 1-3 file.txt
-c LIST	Select characters	cut -c 1-5 file.txt
-f LIST	Select fields	cut -f 2 -d , file.csv
-d DELIM	Set field delimiter	cut -f 1 -d : file.txt

Key Takeaways

Use -f with -d to extract specific fields separated by a delimiter.

Use -c to extract characters and -b to extract bytes carefully, especially with multibyte characters.

Always specify the delimiter with -d when using -f if your data is not tab-separated.

Ranges and lists can be combined in the LIST argument, like 1-3,5,7.

Test your command on sample data to avoid unexpected empty output.