How to View File Content in Linux: Simple Commands Explained

To view file content in Linux, use the cat command to display the whole file, or less to scroll through it page by page. For quick previews, head and tail show the start or end of a file respectively.

Syntax

Here are common commands to view file content in Linux:

• cat filename: Shows the entire file content at once.
• less filename: Opens the file for scrolling up and down.
• head filename: Displays the first 10 lines by default.
• tail filename: Displays the last 10 lines by default.

Replace filename with your actual file name or path.

bash

cat filename
less filename
head filename
tail filename

Example

This example shows how to use cat and head to view a file named example.txt.

bash

echo -e "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3\nLine 4\nLine 5" > example.txt
cat example.txt
head -n 3 example.txt

Output

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when viewing files include:

• Trying to cat very large files, which floods the terminal.
• Not using less for long files, missing the ability to scroll.
• Forgetting to specify the correct file path, causing errors.

Use less for large files and check file paths carefully.

bash

cat largefile.txt  # May flood terminal
less largefile.txt  # Better for large files

Quick Reference

Command	Description
cat filename	Show entire file content
less filename	View file with scrolling
head filename	Show first 10 lines
head -n N filename	Show first N lines
tail filename	Show last 10 lines
tail -n N filename	Show last N lines

Key Takeaways

Use cat for small files to see all content at once.

Use less to scroll through large files comfortably.

Use head and tail to preview start or end of files.

Always check the file path to avoid errors.

Avoid using cat on very large files to prevent terminal flooding.