---
layout: page
category-page: basic
category-title: Basic commands
tags: More and less
author: Marzio Lunghi
title: more and less
previous-page: pages/cmd/basic/5-open.html
next-page: pages/cmd/basic/7-clear.html
---
<p>
Both commands show the content of one or more files and it’s possible to do a research with
particular flags, but the “less” one allows us to go also backwards while reading the text
of a file.<br>
More is quite old, less is more recent and powerful.<br>

General syntax for both is:
</p>

<pre>
less [flags] path/name-file.*
more [flags] path/name-file.*
</pre>

<p>
The command <code>less</code> provides some useful commands to navigate and modify the file content.
Commands does not include flags, which are included under <i>Options</i>.
</p>

<h3>Commands</h3>

<p>
Such commands must be used once the file has been displayed.
They are not flags. For a single operation there can be multiple commands.
</p>

<ul>
    <li><code>ENTER  RETURN e  ^E  j  ^N  CR </code>:
        Scroll forward N lines, 1 by default, if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> y  ^Y  k  ^K  ^P </code>:
        Scroll backward N lines , 1 by default , if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> f  ^F  ^V  SPACE </code>:
        Scroll forward  N lines, a window by default, if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> b  ^B  ESC-v </code>
        Scroll backward N lines, one window by default, if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> ESC-SPACE </code>
        Scroll forward  one window like SPACE , but don't stop at end-of-file.</li>
    <li><code>d  ^D </code>
        Scroll forward  N lines, by default N correspond to half of the screen size.</li>
    <li><code> u  ^U </code>
        Scroll Backward  N lines, by default N correspond to half of the screen size.</li>
    <li><code> ESC-)  RightArrow </code>
        Scroll horizontally right  N characters, by default half of the screen size, if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> ESC-(  LeftArrow </code>
        Scroll horizontally left  N characters, by default half of the screen size, if N is not specified. </li>
</ul>

<h3>Jumping</h3>

<p>
Such commands must be used once the file has been displayed.
They are not. For a single operation there can be multiple commands. </p>

<ul>
    <li><code>  g  &lt;  ESC-&lt;   </code>:
        Go to line N, by default 1, if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code> G  &gt;  ESC-&gt; </code>:
        Go to line N, by default the last one , if N is not specified.</li>
    <li><code>  t </code>:
        Go to the (N-th) next tag. </li>
    <li><code> T </code>
        Go to the (N-th) previous tag.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Flags</h3>

Options may be given in one of two forms: either a single
character preceded by a "-", or a name preceded by "--" .

<ul>
  <li><code> ?    OR    --help </code>
    Display help guide with the description of commands and more , it is sufficient to enter less -? .</li>
  <li><code> -c  OR   --clear-screen </code>
    Repaint by clearing rather than scrolling.</li>
  <li><code> -e  -E  OR  --quit-at-eof  --QUIT-AT-EOF </code>
    Quit the file, when you scroll to the end of the file.</li>
  <li><code>  -~  OR  --tilde </code>
    Do not display tildes after end of file. </li>
</ul>