---
name: "tabs"
section: "1"
platform: "macos"
package: "adv_cmds"
version: "237"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tabs"
---

# tabs(1)

set terminal tabs

## NAME

**tabs** – set terminal tabs

## SYNOPSIS

**tabs** \[**-***n* \| **-a** \| **-a2** \| **-c** \| **-c2** \| **-c3** \| **-f** \| **-p** \| **-s** \| **-u**\] \[**+m**\[*n*\]\] \[**-T** *type*\]

**tabs** \[**-T** *type*\] \[**+**\[*n*\]\] *n1*\[,*n2*,...\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **tabs** utility displays a series of characters that clear the hardware terminal tab settings then initialises tab stops at specified positions, and optionally adjusts the margin.

In the first synopsis form, the tab stops set depend on the command line options used, and may be one of the predefined formats or at regular intervals.

In the second synopsis form, tab stops are set at positions *n1*, *n2*, etc. If a position is preceded by a ‘+’, it is relative to the previous position set. No more than 20 positions may be specified.

If no tab stops are specified, the “standard” UNIX tab width of 8 is used.

The options are as follows:

- **-***n*

  Set a tab stop every *n* columns. If *n* is 0, the tab stops are cleared but no new ones are set.

- **-a**

  Assembler format (columns 1, 10, 16, 36, 72).

- **-a2**

  Assembler format (columns 1, 10, 16, 40, 72).

- **-c**

  COBOL normal format (columns 1, 8, 12, 16, 20, 55)

- **-c2**

  COBOL compact format (columns 1, 6, 10, 14, 49)

- **-c3**

  COBOL compact format (columns 1, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 67).

- **-f**

  FORTRAN format (columns 1, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23).

- **-p**

  PL/1 format (columns 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61).

- **-s**

  SNOBOL format (columns 1, 10, 55).

- **-u**

  Assembler format (columns 1, 12, 20, 44).

-

  **+m**\[*n*\], **+**\[*n*\] Set an *n* character left margin, or 10 if *n* is omitted.

- **-T** *type*

  Output escape sequence for the terminal type *type*.

## ENVIRONMENT

The LANG, LC\_ALL, LC\_CTYPE and TERM environment variables affect the execution of **tabs** as described in [environ(7)](/environ/7.md).

The **-T** option overrides the setting of the TERM environment variable. If neither TERM nor the **-T** option are present, **tabs** will fail.

## EXIT STATUS

The **tabs** utility exits 0 on success, and \>0 if an error occurs.

## SEE ALSO

[expand(1)](/expand/1.md), [stty(1)](/stty/1.md), [tput(1)](/tput/1.md), [unexpand(1)](/unexpand/1.md), [termcap(5)](/termcap/5.md)

## STANDARDS

The **tabs** utility conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (“POSIX.1”).

## HISTORY

*/etc/tabs* appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX which set tabs every 8 on Teletype model 37 and compatible printing terminals when printed. A **tabs** utility that worked on many terminals appeared in PWB UNIX. This implementation was introduced in FreeBSD 5.0.

## BUGS

The current [termcap(5)](/termcap/5.md) database does not define the ‘ML’ (set left soft margin) capability for any terminals.