more command in Linux with Examples

The more command in Linux is used to view the contents of a text file one screen (or page) at a time in the terminal, allowing users to scroll through long files easily.

• Forward navigation only - you can move ahead line by line (Enter) or page by page (Space).
• Cannot scroll backward, unlike the less command.
• Useful for reading logs, configuration files, or command outputs (cat file.txt | more or more file.txt).
• You can search text within a file by typing /pattern.

Example

The command used to display the contents of a file one page at a time.

more sample.txt

Syntax:

more [-options] [-num] [+/pattern] [+linenum] [file_name]

where,

• [-options]: any option that you want to use in order to change the way the file is displayed. Choose any one from the followings: ('-d', '-l', '-f', '-p', '-c', '-s', '-u')
• [-num]: type the number of lines that you want to display per screen.
• [+/pattern]: replace the pattern with any string that you want to find in the text file.
• [+linenum]: use the line number from where you want to start displaying the text content.
• [file_name]: name of the file containing the text that you want to display on the screen.

Navigating Through Text Files Using the 'more' Command

While viewing text files with 'more', you can use the following controls for navigation:

• Enter key: Scrolls down one line at a time.
• Space bar: Moves to the next page or screen.
• 'b' key: Goes back one page.
• 'q' key: Quits the more command and exits the view.
• '=' key: Show current line number.

Common Options for the more Command

Here is a list of the most frequently used options of the more command that help control how file content is displayed on the terminal screen.

1. '-d' (Prompt Navigation Help)

Use this command in order to help the user to navigate.

• It displays "[Press space to continue, 'q' to quit.]" and,
• Displays "[Press 'h' for instructions.]" when wrong key is pressed.

Example:

more -d sample.txt

2. '-f' (Disable Line Wrapping)

Displays long lines without wrapping them, showing them as they are in the file. This option is useful when the exact formatting of text is important.

Example:

more -f sample.txt

3. '-p' (Clear and Display)

Clears the screen before displaying the next page, making the reading experience cleaner by removing previously shown content.

Example:

more -p sample.txt

4. '-c' (Overlapping Text)

Overlaps the new text over the old text on the same screen space, providing a continuous reading flow without clearing the screen.

Example:

more -c sample.txt

5. '-s' (Squeeze Blank Lines)

Compresses multiple blank lines into a single blank line, making large documents more concise and easier to read.

Example:

more -s sample.txt

6. '-u' (Omit Underlines)

Removes underlined characters, which can be useful when viewing text files with special formatting that is not needed for content comprehension.

Example:

more -u sample.txt

7. '+/pattern' (Search Pattern)

This option is used to search the string inside your text document. You can view all the instances by navigating through the result.

Example:

more +/reset sample.txt

8. '+num' (Start at Line Number)

Displays the content starting from the specified line number, useful when you want to skip over the beginning of a file

Example:

more +30 sample.txt

Using 'more' to Read Long Outputs

We use more command after a pipe to see long outputs. For example, seeing log files, etc.

cat a.txt | more