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Linux less Guide

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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux less Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to less on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including file viewing, text navigation, and pager usage.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding less
  2. less Basics
  3. less Navigation
  4. less Features
  5. Troubleshooting

Understanding less

What is less?

less is file pager (viewer).

Features:

  • View files: Display file contents
  • Scroll: Navigate through files
  • Search: Find text in file
  • Large files: Handle large files efficiently

Why it matters:

  • File viewing: View any file
  • Log viewing: Read log files
  • Text files: View text files
  • Better than more: More features than more

less Basics

View File

Open file:

# View file
less file.txt

# Or pipe to less
command | less

Exit less

Quit:

  • q: Quit less
  • Q: Force quit

less Navigation

Basic Movement

Navigate:

  • Space: Next page
  • b: Previous page
  • Enter: Next line
  • Arrow keys: Move line by line
  • Page Up/Down: Page navigation

Jumping

Quick navigation:

  • g: Go to beginning
  • G: Go to end
  • 50g: Go to line 50
  • /pattern: Search forward
  • ?pattern: Search backward

less Features

Search

Find text:

# In less
/pattern

# Search forward
?pattern

# Search backward
n: Next match
N: Previous match

Line Numbers

Show numbers:

# In less
-N

# Or start with
less -N file.txt

Troubleshooting

less Not Found

Check installation:

# Check less
which less
less --version

# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S less

Summary

This guide covered less usage, file viewing, and navigation for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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