---
name: "install-info"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texinfo"
version: "7.3-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/install-info"
---

# install-info(1)

update info/dir entries

## NAME

install-info - update info/dir entries

## SYNOPSIS

**install-info** \[*OPTION*\]... \[*INFO-FILE* \[*DIR-FILE*\]\]

## DESCRIPTION

Add or remove entries in INFO-FILE from the Info directory DIR-FILE. INFO-FILE and DIR-FILE are required unless the **--info-file** or **--dir-file** (or **--info-dir**) options are given, respectively.

## OPTIONS

- **--add-once**

  add only to first matching section, not all.

- **--align**=*COL*

  start description of new entries at column COL.

- **--calign**=*COL*

  format second and subsequent description lines to start at column COL.

- **--debug**

  report what is being done.

- **--delete**

  delete existing entries for INFO-FILE from DIR-FILE; don't insert any new entries.

- **--defsection**=*TEXT*

  like **--section**, but only use TEXT if no sections are present in INFO-FILE (replacing "Miscellaneous").

- **--description**=*TEXT*

  the description of the entry is TEXT; used with the **--name** option to become synonymous with the **--entry** option.

- **--dir-file**=*NAME*

  specify file name of Info directory file; equivalent to using the DIR-FILE argument.

- **--dry-run**

  same as **--test**.

- **--entry**=*TEXT*

  insert TEXT as an Info directory entry, overriding any corresponding entry from DIR-FILE. TEXT is written as an Info menu item line followed

- by zero or more extra lines starting with whitespace.

  If you specify more than one entry, all are added. If you don't specify any entries, they are determined

-

  from information in the Info file itself.

- **--help**

  display this help and exit.

- **--info-dir**=*DIR*

  same as **--dir-file**=*DIR*/dir.

- **--info-file**=*FILE*

  specify Info file to install in the directory; equivalent to using the INFO-FILE argument.

- **--item**=*TEXT*

  same as **--entry**=*TEXT*.

- **--keep-old**

  do not replace entries, or remove empty sections.

- **--maxwidth**, **--max-width**=*COL*

  wrap description at column COL.

- **--menuentry**=*TEXT*

  same as **--name**=*TEXT*.

- **--name**=*TEXT*

  the name of the entry is TEXT; used with **--description** to become synonymous with the **--entry** option.

- **--no-indent**

  do not format new entries in the DIR file.

- **--quiet**

  suppress warnings.

- **--regex**=*R*

  put this file's entries in all sections that match the regular expression R (ignoring case).

- **--remove**

  same as **--delete**.

- **--remove-exactly**

  only remove if the info file name matches exactly; suffixes such as .info and .gz are not ignored.

- **--section**=*SEC*

  put entries in section SEC of the directory. If you specify more than one section, all the entries

- are added in each of the sections.

  If you don't specify any sections, they are determined

- from information in the Info file itself;

  if nothing is available there, the **--defsection** value is used; if that is not specified, the final default is "Miscellaneous".

- **--section** R SEC

  equivalent to **--regex**=*R* **--section**=*SEC* **--add-once**.

- **--silent**

  suppress warnings.

- **--test**

  suppress updating of DIR-FILE.

- **--version**

  display version information and exit.

## REPORTING BUGS

Email bug reports to bug-texinfo@gnu.org, general questions and discussion to help-texinfo@gnu.org.\
 Texinfo home page: https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/

## 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

The full documentation for **install-info** is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the **info** and **install-info** programs are properly installed at your site, the command

-

  **info install-info**

should give you access to the complete manual.