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more Command Cheat Sheet

more is a filter for paging through text one screenful at a time. It is the predecessor to less.

Pro Tip: "Less is more, but more is less." generally less is preferred because more cannot scroll backwards (on many systems).


Synopsis

more [options] file...

Basic Usage

View File

more filename.txt

Paging through Pipe

ls -lR / | more

Start at Line (+num)

Open file starting at line 100.

more +100 large_file.log

Unlike less, more keys are limited.

Key Action
Space Display next screen (or page)
Enter Display next line
b Skip backwards one screen (Only works for files, not pipes!)
/pattern Search for string
n Next search occurrence
v Start vi editor at current line
q Quit

Options

Clear Screen (-c)

Draws each page by clearing the screen instead of scrolling. Faster on slow terminals.

more -c filename.txt

Squeeze Blank Lines (-s)

Multiple blank lines are squashed into one.

more -s code.py

Help Message (-d)

Displays "[Press space to continue, 'q' to quit.]" instead of just ringing the bell on illegal keys.

more -d filename.txt

Notes

  • Exit on EOF: Unlike less, more automatically exits when it reaches the end of the file.
  • Environment:
    • MORE: Set default flags (e.g., export MORE="-c").