Linux more Command: View Text One Screen at a Time

The more command is a terminal pager that shows long text one screen at a time. It is widely available and simple to use, although less generally offers more flexible backward navigation and searching.

This guide explains the basic syntax, key options, practical examples, related commands, common cautions, and frequently asked questions for more.

What Is the more Command?

It reads files or standard input, fills the terminal screen, and waits for an interactive key. Space advances a screen, Enter advances a line, and q quits. Backward movement and option behavior depend on the implementation and whether input is a regular file or a pipe.

Basic Syntax

more [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Options and edge cases can vary by implementation and version. Check more --help and man more on the target system before relying on implementation-specific behavior.

Basic more Usage

Read a file screen by screen

A progress indicator or status prompt may appear at the bottom of the terminal.

more README.txt

Advance or exit

During execution, press Space for the next screen, Enter for the next line, or q to exit.

more changelog.txt

Page through command output

Place more at the end of a pipeline when the preceding output is too long for one screen.

dmesg | more

Understanding Page Boundary Display

more sample.txt shows the content one screen at a time and waits for the next input. At the end of the output, a progress indicator or --More-- may appear.

more sample.txt

Example status display:

--More--(50%)

Space is used for the next screen, Enter for the next line, and q to quit. The display format and whether going back is possible depend on the implementation and whether the input is a file or a pipe.

Key Options

Practical Examples

Start at a line number

Use the implementation-supported +NUM form to skip directly to an approximate location.

more +200 server.log

Start near a search match

Quote the argument when the pattern contains shell metacharacters.

more +/'ERROR' server.log

Compress blank lines

The -s option reduces scrolling in text with large blank regions.

more -s report.txt

more and Related Commands

Important Cautions

Implementations differ

util-linux, BSD, and other versions can support different keys and options. Read the local manual.

Piped input may restrict backward movement

Unlike a seekable regular file, a stream may not provide previously consumed data.

Avoid interactive pagers in unattended scripts

Use noninteractive selectors such as head, sed, or awk when output must be processed automatically.

FAQ

How do I exit more?

Press q.

How do I advance one line?

Press Enter in typical implementations.

Should I use more or less?

Use more for basic paging; use less when you need stronger searching and backward navigation.

Can more start at a specific line?

Supported implementations accept a form such as more +200 FILE.

Related Resources

• Essential Linux Commands: A Practical Reference by Task
• util-linux more manual page