Overview
less is an interactive pager for viewing files and stdin. Default pager for man. Forward and backward scroll, search, and follow mode.
Syntax
less [options] [file...]
command | less
Common Options
-N |
Line numbers |
-S |
Chop long lines |
-i / -I |
Ignore case search |
-R |
Raw colors |
-F |
Quit if one screen |
-X |
No screen clear on exit |
+F |
Start in follow mode |
+/pattern |
Start at first match |
Keys
q |
Quit |
/pat n N |
Search next/prev |
g / G |
Start / end |
Space / b |
Page down/up |
F |
Follow (Ctrl-C to stop) |
h |
Help |
&pat |
Filter lines |
Examples with Explanations
less /var/log/syslog
less -N +/error app.log
less +F app.log
journalctl -u nginx --no-pager | less
man ls # uses less usually