How to Use Less Command in Linux: Syntax and Examples

Use the less command in Linux to view the contents of a file one screen at a time. Run less filename to open the file, then use keyboard keys like Space to scroll down and q to quit.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the less command is:

• less [options] filename

Here, filename is the file you want to view. Options can modify behavior, like searching or line numbers.

bash

less filename.txt

Example

This example shows how to open a file named example.txt with less. You can scroll down with Space or Down Arrow, scroll up with b or Up Arrow, and quit with q.

bash

less example.txt

Output

Displays the content of example.txt one screen at a time until you press q to quit.

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when using less include:

• Trying to edit the file inside less (it is read-only).
• Not knowing how to quit (press q to exit).
• Using cat for large files, which floods the terminal instead of paging.

bash

cat largefile.txt
# floods terminal

less largefile.txt
# better for reading large files

Quick Reference

Key	Action
Space	Scroll down one page
b	Scroll up one page
Enter	Scroll down one line
Up/Down Arrow	Scroll up/down one line
q	Quit less
/pattern	Search forward for pattern
?pattern	Search backward for pattern
n	Repeat last search forward
N	Repeat last search backward

Key Takeaways

Use less filename to view files page by page in Linux.

Press Space to scroll down and q to quit less.

less is read-only; it does not edit files.

Use search inside less with /pattern and navigate with n and N.

Avoid using cat for large files; less is better for readability.