--- name: "more" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "util-linux" version: "2.42.4-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/more" --- # more(1) display the contents of a file in a terminal ## NAME more - display the contents of a file in a terminal ## SYNOPSIS **more** \[options\] *file* ... ## DESCRIPTION **more** is a filter for paging through text one screenful at a time. This version is especially primitive. Users should realize that [**less**(1)](/less/1.md) provides [**more**(1)](/more/1.md) emulation plus extensive enhancements. ## OPTIONS Options are also taken from the environment variable **MORE** (make sure to precede them with a dash (**-**)) but command-line options will override those. - **-d**, **--silent** Prompt with "\[Press space to continue, 'q' to quit.\]", and display "\[Press 'h' for instructions.\]" instead of ringing the bell when an illegal key is pressed. - **-l**, **--logical** Do not pause after any line containing a **^L** (form feed). - **-e**, **--exit-on-eof** Exit on End-Of-File, enabled by default if POSIXLY\_CORRECT environment variable is not set or if not executed on terminal. - **-f**, **--no-pause** Count logical lines, rather than screen lines (i.e., long lines are not folded). - **-p**, **--print-over** Do not scroll. Instead, clear the whole screen and then display the text. Notice that this option is switched on automatically if the executable is named **page**. - **-c**, **--clean-print** Do not scroll. Instead, paint each screen from the top, clearing the remainder of each line as it is displayed. - **-s**, **--squeeze** Squeeze multiple blank lines into one. - **-u**, **--plain** Suppress underlining. This option is silently ignored as backwards compatibility. - **-n**, **--lines** *number* Specify the *number* of lines per screenful. The *number* argument is a positive decimal integer. The **--lines** option shall override any values obtained from any other source, such as number of lines reported by terminal. - **-***number* A numeric option means the same as **--lines** option argument. **+***number* Start displaying each file at line *number*. **+**/*string* The *string* to be searched in each file before starting to display it. - **-h**, **--help** Display help text and exit. - **-V**, **--version** Display version and exit. ## COMMANDS Interactive commands for **more** are based on [**vi**(1)](/vi/1.md). Some commands may be preceded by a decimal number, called k in the descriptions below. In the following descriptions, **^X** means **control-X**. **h** or **?** Help; display a summary of these commands. If you forget all other commands, remember this one. **SPACE** Display next k lines of text. Defaults to current screen size. **z** Display next k lines of text. Defaults to current screen size. Argument becomes new default. **RETURN** Display next k lines of text. Defaults to 1. Argument becomes new default. **d** or **^D** Scroll k lines. Default is current scroll size, initially 11. Argument becomes new default. **q** or **Q** or **INTERRUPT** Exit. **s** Skip forward k lines of text. Defaults to 1. **f** Skip forward k screenfuls of text. Defaults to 1. **b** or **^B** Skip backwards k screenfuls of text. Defaults to 1. Only works with files, not pipes. **'** Go to the place where the last search started. **=** Display current line number. **/pattern** Search for kth occurrence of regular expression. Defaults to 1. **n** Search for kth occurrence of last regular expression. Defaults to 1. **!command** or **:!command** Execute *command* in a subshell. **v** Start up an editor at current line. The editor is taken from the environment variable **VISUAL** if defined, or **EDITOR** if **VISUAL** is not defined, or defaults to [**vi**(1)](/vi/1.md) if neither **VISUAL** nor **EDITOR** is defined. **^L** Redraw screen. **:n** Go to kth next file. Defaults to 1. **:p** Go to kth previous file. Defaults to 1. **:f** Display current file name and line number. **.** Repeat previous command. ## SECURITY When either MORESECURE or PAGERSECURE is set, **more** will run in "secure" mode and effectively disable the following commands: **!command** or **:!command** Execute *command* in a subshell. **v** Start up an editor. ## ENVIRONMENT The **more** command respects the following environment variables, if they exist: **MORE** This variable may be set with favored options to **more**. **SHELL** Current shell in use (normally set by the shell at login time). **TERM** The terminal type used by **more** to get the terminal characteristics necessary to manipulate the screen. **VISUAL** The editor the user prefers. Invoked when command key *v* is pressed. **EDITOR** The editor of choice when **VISUAL** is not specified. **POSIXLY\_CORRECT** Disable exit-on-eof (see option **-e** for more details). **MORESECURE** Run **more** in "secure" mode. See SECURITY for details. **PAGERSECURE** Equivalent to MORESECURE. **MORE\_SHELL\_LINES** Specify the *number* of lines the shell prompt occupies on the terminal screen. If this value is set, the *number* of lines for the shell prompt is subtracted from the number of lines used to print a page on the screen. The value must be greater than zero and less than the current number of lines per screen; otherwise it is silently ignored. This is useful in situations where the printed page has to remain on the screen after exiting [**more**(1)](/more/1.md) without scrolling up too much as the shell prints a new prompt. ## HISTORY The **more** command appeared in 3.0BSD. This man page documents **more** version 5.19 (Berkeley 6/29/88), which is currently in use in the Linux community. Documentation was produced using several other versions of the man page, and extensive inspection of the source code. ## AUTHORS Eric Shienbrood, UC Berkeley. Modified by Geoff Peck, UCB to add underlining, single spacing. Modified by John Foderaro, UCB to add -c and MORE environment variable. Modified by Christian Goeschel Ndjomouo to add MORESECURE, PAGERSECURE and MORE\_SHELL\_LINES environment variables, and a SECURITY section ## SEE ALSO [**less**(1)](/less/1.md), [**vi**(1)](/vi/1.md) ## REPORTING BUGS For bug reports, use the *issue tracker* \. ## AVAILABILITY The **more** command is part of the util-linux package which can be downloaded from *Linux Kernel Archive* \.