How to Use the less, more, and most Commands to Read Text Files in Linux
If you’re a Linux user, you’re likely familiar with the less, more, and most commands. These commands are used to open and read text files in the Linux terminal. They offer a range of different features and functions that can make it easier to read and navigate text files, depending on your preferences and needs. Here’s a guide on how to use these commands to read text files in Linux.
First, let’s talk about the less command. When you use the less command to open a text file in Linux, it opens it in a pager that allows you to scroll through the text in a controlled manner. To use the less command, simply type “less” followed by the name of the file you want to read.
Once the text file is open in less, you can scroll through it using the arrow keys or the page up and page down keys. You can also search for specific words or phrases by typing “/[search term].” For example, if you wanted to search for the word “Linux,” you would type “/Linux” and press enter. To exit the less command, press “q.”
Next, let’s talk about the more command. The more command works similarly to the less command, but it doesn’t offer as many features and is generally considered to be more basic. To use the more command, simply type “more” followed by the name of the file you want to read.
Once the text file is open in more, you can scroll through it using the space bar to go down or the enter key to go down one line at a time. To search for specific words or phrases, type “/[search term]” as you would with less. To exit the more command, press “q.”
Finally, let’s talk about the most command. The most command is similar to the less command, but it only works on text files that are compressed (e.g. files that end in “.gz” or “.bz2”). To use the most command, simply type “most” followed by the name of the compressed file you want to read.
Once the compressed file is open in most, you can scroll through it using the arrow keys or the page up and page down keys. To search for specific words or phrases, type “/[search term]” as you would with less. To exit the most command, press “q.”