Linux Command Cheat Sheet/Page through a file

Open a file in a scrollable pager.

Section: Viewing and Text Basics

Page through a file

bash
bash
less /var/log/syslog
Explanation

Search inside `less` with `/pattern` and quit with `q`.

Learn the surrounding workflow

Compare similar commands or jump into common fixes when this command is part of a bigger troubleshooting path.

Related commands

Same sheet · prioritizing Viewing and Text Basics
Show last lines
Display the end of a file.
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Follow a growing file
Stream appended lines as they are written.
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Print file contents
Concatenate and print files to standard output.
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Show first lines
Display the first lines of a file.
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Count lines words and bytes
Count content in files or streams.
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Number lines
Display file contents with line numbers.
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