{"id":59105,"date":"2023-09-04T15:01:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T07:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=59105"},"modified":"2023-09-12T17:26:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T09:26:02","slug":"linux-command-ls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/linux-command-ls\/","title":{"rendered":"How to List Files and Folders in Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ls<\/code> Linux command is used to list files and directories in the current directory. When you type ls<\/code> and press Enter in the terminal, it will display all the files and folders in the directory you are currently in. It\u2019s a fundamental command that helps users navigate and manage their file system by providing an overview of the contents.<\/p>\n

You can also use various options with the ls<\/code> command to view additional details, such as file permissions, ownership, file size, and modification dates. In this post, we explore all possible uses of the ls<\/code> command.<\/p>\n

General syntax for ls<\/code> command:<\/p>\n

\r\n$ ls [OPTION...] [FILE...]\r\n<\/pre>\n
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1. Display hidden files<\/h3>\n
ls -a<\/pre>\n
This option will display the entire list of directories, including hidden files. Hidden files start with a dot (.)<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
.  ..  .config  .bashrc  file1.txt  folder1  .hiddenfolder  picture.jpg<\/pre>\n
In this example, the single dot (.<\/code>) represents the current directory, and the double dot (..<\/code>) represents the parent directory. The .config <\/code>and .bashrc<\/code> files, along with the .hiddenfolder<\/code>, are hidden files and directories that would not be shown with the plain ls<\/code> command but are displayed here because of the -a<\/code> option. The other items are regular, non-hidden files and directories.<\/p>\n
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2. Sorting by file size<\/h3>\n
ls -S<\/pre>\n
Use the ls -S<\/code> command to sort files and directories by size in descending order, and then print them to the terminal.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
file_large.mp4\r\nimage1.jpg\r\ndocument.pdf\r\ntextfile.txt\r\nfolder1\/\r\nfolder2\/\r\n<\/pre>\n
In this example, file_large.mp4<\/code> is the largest file, and textfile.tx<\/code>t is the smallest file. The directories folder1\/<\/code> and folder2\/ <\/code>are also listed, but the -S<\/code> option doesn\u2019t consider their sizes in the sorting. If you want to see the sizes along with the files, you can combine the -S<\/code> option with the -l <\/code>option, like ls -lS<\/code>.<\/p>\n
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3. Display files in long format<\/h3>\n
ls -l<\/pre>\n
The -l<\/code> option displays the contents of the directory in a more detailed way. Displaying the file\u2019s owner and group, last modified time, and more.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
total 48\r\ndrwxr-xr-x 5 user user 4096 Aug  6 10:30 Documents\r\n-rw-r--r-- 1 user user  123 Aug  6 10:20 file.txt\r\ndrwxr-xr-x 2 user user 4096 Aug  6 10:15 Music\r\n-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 2048 Aug  6 10:10 script.sh\r\ndrwxr-xr-x 3 user user 4096 Aug  6 10:05 Pictures\r\n<\/pre>\n
Here\u2019s a breakdown of what each part means:<\/p>\n