more - Control the Text Displayed at Once

Maintained on August 19, 2024

When using commands like dir or tree, if the target directory contains a large number of files or folders, the amount of text displayed at once can be overwhelming and may exceed the screen’s viewable area.

For example, if you run the tree command on a directory with a large hierarchy, it can be difficult to see the entire output as it may exceed the screen’s viewable area.

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tree

C:.
├───Documents
│   ├───Projects
│   │   ├───ProjectA
│   │   │   ├───Drafts
│   │   │   │   └───draft1.txt
│   │   │   ├───Final
│   │   │   │   ├───final_report.docx
│   │   │   │   └───presentation.pptx
│   │   │   └───Resources
│   │   │       ├───data.xlsx
│   │   │       ├───image1.png
│   │   │       └───image2.png
│   │   ├───ProjectB
│   │   │   ├───docs
│   │   │   │   ├───specifications.docx
│   │   │   │   └───requirements.docx
│   │   │   ├───src
│   │   │   │   ├───main.py
│   │   │   │   └───utils.py
│   │   │   └───tests
│   │   │       ├───test_main.py
│   │   │       └───test_utils.py
│   │   └───ProjectC
│   │       ├───assets
│   │       │   ├───asset1.jpg
│   │       │   └───asset2.jpg
│   │       ├───build
│   │       │   ├───build.log
│   │       │   └───output.exe
│   │       └───src
│   │           ├───module1.cpp
│   │           └───module2.cpp
│   ├───Reports
│   │   ├───2021
│   │   │   ├───Q1
│   │   │   │   └───report.docx
│   │   │   ├───Q2
│   │   │   │   └───report.docx
│   │   │   ├───Q3
│   │   │   │   └───report.docx
│   │   │   └───Q4
│   │   │       └───report.docx
│   │   └───2022
│   │       ├───Q1
│   │       │   └───report.docx
│   │       ├───Q2
│   │       │   └───report.docx
│   │       ├───Q3
│   │       │   └───report.docx
│   │       └───Q4
│   │           └───report.docx
│   └───Personal
│       ├───Photos
│       │   ├───Vacation
│       │   │   ├───photo1.jpg
│       │   │   └───photo2.jpg
│       │   ├───Family
│       │   │   ├───photo1.jpg
│       │   │   └───photo2.jpg
│       │   └───Events
│       │       ├───photo1.jpg
│       │       └───photo2.jpg
│       └───Videos
│           ├───Birthday
│           │   ├───video1.mp4
│           │   └───video2.mp4
│           ├───Holidays
│           │   ├───video1.mp4
│           │   └───video2.mp4
│           └───Random
│               ├───video1.mp4
│               └───video2.mp4
├───Downloads
│   ├───Software
│   │   ├───installer1.exe
│   │   └───installer2.exe
│   ├───Documents
│   │   ├───doc1.pdf
│   │   └───doc2.pdf
│   └───Media
│       ├───song1.mp3
│       └───song2.mp3
└───Music
    ├───Albums
    │   ├───Album1
    │   │   ├───track1.mp3
    │   │   └───track2.mp3
    │   ├───Album2
    │   │   ├───track1.mp3
    │   │   └───track2.mp3
    │   └───Album3
    │       ├───track1.mp3
    │       └───track2.mp3
    └───Playlists
        ├───Playlist1
        │   ├───song1.mp3
        │   └───song2.mp3
        ├───Playlist2
        │   ├───song1.mp3
        │   └───song2.mp3
        └───Playlist3
            ├───song1.mp3
            └───song2.mp3

In such cases, you can use the more command to display the content one page at a time.

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tree | more +10

C:.
├───Documents
│   ├───Projects
│   │   ├───ProjectA
│   │   │   ├───Drafts
│   │   │   │   └───draft1.txt
│   │   │   ├───Final
│   │   │   │   ├───final_report.docx
-- More  --

In this article, we will explain the basic usage of the more command and how to set its options.

What is the `more` command?

The more command is used to display the contents of a text file one page at a time. It is particularly useful when the text to be displayed is too large to fit on one screen. By scrolling through the content, it is convenient for handling large amounts of text data.

Basic usage of the `more` command

Basic syntax

more [filename]

Example

For instance, if you want to display the contents of a file named example.txt, you can enter the following command:

more example.txt

When you run this command, the contents of the file will be displayed one page at a time. Press the spacebar to move to the next page.

Additionally, pressing the Enter key will advance the display one line at a time.

Options for the `more` Command

`+` Option

Starts displaying from a specific line in the file.

Example

more +20 example.txt

In this case, the display starts from line 20.

Using with Pipes

It can also be used in combination with the dir command or the type command.

Example

dir | more

In this case, the contents of the directory will be displayed one page at a time.

4. Examples of Using the `more` Command

Checking Log Files

When checking the contents of a large log file, the more command is useful.

more server.log

Viewing Long Text Files

For example, you can use the more command to read text files such as novels.

more novel.txt

Practice Problem

Practice 1

Which of the following correctly describes the behavior when the following command is executed?

more +5 example.txt

Display example.txt from the 5th line, one page at a time Add 5 blank lines to the beginning of example.txt and display it Display example.txt in chunks of 5 lines Add 5 blank lines to the end of example.txt and display it

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more - Control the Text Displayed at Once

What is the more command?

Basic usage of the more command

Basic syntax

Example

Options for the more Command

+ Option

Example

Using with Pipes

Example

4. Examples of Using the more Command

Checking Log Files

Viewing Long Text Files

Practice Problem

What is the `more` command?

Basic usage of the `more` command

Options for the `more` Command

`+` Option

4. Examples of Using the `more` Command