---
name: "head"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "coreutils"
version: "9.12-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/head"
---

# head(1)

output the first part of files

## NAME

head - output the first part of files

## SYNOPSIS

**head** \[*OPTION*\]... \[*FILE*\]...

## DESCRIPTION

Print the first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name.

With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

- **-c, --bytes=\[-\]NUM**

  print the first NUM bytes of each file; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM bytes of each file

- **-n, --lines=\[-\]NUM**

  print the first NUM lines instead of the first 10; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM lines of each file

- **-q, --quiet, --silent**

  never print headers giving file names

- **-v, --verbose**

  always print headers giving file names

- **-z, --zero-terminated**

  line delimiter is NUL, not newline

- **--help**

  display this help and exit

- **--version**

  output version information and exit

NUM may have a multiplier suffix: b 512, kB 1000, K 1024, MB 1000\*1000, M 1024\*1024, GB 1000\*1000\*1000, G 1024\*1024\*1024, and so on for T, P, E, Z, Y, R, Q. Binary prefixes can be used, too: KiB=K, MiB=M, and so on.

## AUTHOR

Written by David MacKenzie and Jim Meyering.

## REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to: \<bug-coreutils@gnu.org\>.\
 Report any translation bugs to: \<https://translationproject.org/team/\>.\
 GNU coreutils home page: \<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/\>\
 General help using GNU software: \<https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later \<https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>.\
 This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

## SEE ALSO

[**tail**(1)](/tail/1.md)

Full documentation \<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/head\>\
 or available locally via: info '(coreutils) head invocation'