---
name: "uu-comm"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "uutils-coreutils"
version: "0.12.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/uu-comm"
---

# uu-comm(1)

Compare two sorted files line by line. When FILE1 or FILE2 (not both) is -, read standard input. With no options, produce three-column output. Column one contains lines unique to FILE1, column two contains lines unique to FILE2, and column three contains lines common to both files.

## NAME

comm - Compare two sorted files line by line.

When FILE1 or FILE2 (not both) is -, read standard input.

With no options, produce three-column output. Column one contains lines unique to FILE1, column two contains lines unique to FILE2, and column three contains lines common to both files.

## SYNOPSIS

**comm** \[OPTION\]... FILE1 FILE2

## DESCRIPTION

Compare two sorted files line by line.

When FILE1 or FILE2 (not both) is -, read standard input.

With no options, produce three-column output. Column one contains lines unique to FILE1, column two contains lines unique to FILE2, and column three contains lines common to both files.

## OPTIONS

- **-1**

  suppress column 1 (lines unique to FILE1)

- **-2**

  suppress column 2 (lines unique to FILE2)

- **-3**

  suppress column 3 (lines that appear in both files)

- **--output-delimiter** *\<STR\>*

  separate columns with STR

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

  line delimiter is NUL, not newline

- **--total**

  output a summary

- **--check-order**

  check that the input is correctly sorted, even if all input lines are pairable

- **--nocheck-order**

  do not check that the input is correctly sorted

- **-h**, **--help**

  Print help

- **-V**, **--version**

  Print version

- \<*FILE1*\>

  - \<*FILE2*\>

  ## VERSION

v(uutils coreutils) 0.12.0