tree

Updated

July 31, 2026

Overview

tree prints a directory hierarchy as an indented tree. Optional package on many systems (sudo apt install tree).

Syntax

tree [options] [directory...]

Common Options

Option Description
-L n Max depth
-a Include hidden
-d Directories only
-f Full paths
-h Human sizes (with -s/--du variants)
-I pattern Exclude pattern
-P pattern Include only matching
-C Color
-H url HTML output
--gitignore Honor gitignore (newer tree)

Examples with Explanations

tree -L 2
tree -d -L 3 /etc
tree -I 'node_modules|.git|dist'
tree -h -L 2 --du   # if supported
tree -a -L 1 ~