column

Updated

July 31, 2026

Overview

column formats text into aligned columns or tables. Great for making mount, ls, or script output human-readable.

Syntax

column [options] [file...]

Common Options

Option Description
-t Create a table (whitespace → columns)
-s sep Input separator for -t
-o sep Output separator
-x Fill columns before rows
-n Do not merge empty columns (util-linux)

Key Use Cases

  1. Pretty-print tabular CLI output
  2. Align CSV/TSV for reading
  3. Format script reports

Examples with Explanations

Table mode

mount | column -t

Aligns mount table fields for eyeballing.

CSV to table

column -t -s, contacts.csv

Use comma as input separator.

From a pipeline

printf 'name age\nalice 30\nbob 2\n' | column -t

Quick aligned report.

Notes & Pitfalls

  • util-linux column features vary slightly by version; check column --help.