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ls Command: A Complete Guide

The ls command lists the contents of a directory. It’s one of the most basic and frequently used Linux commands.

Basic Syntax

ls [OPTIONS] [FILES or DIRECTORIES]

1. Basic Usage

• List files in the current directory:

ls

• List files in a specific directory:

ls /path/to/directory

2. Commonly Used Options

Option	Description
-a	Show all files, including hidden ones
-l	Long listing format
-h	Human-readable sizes (with -l)
-t	Sort by modification time
-r	Reverse the order
-S	Sort by size
-R	Recursively list subdirectories
-d	List directories themselves, not contents

3. Combining Options

• List all files (including hidden ones) in long format:

ls -al

• List files sorted by modification time:

ls -lt

• List files with human-readable sizes:

ls -lh

• Recursively list files in all subdirectories:

ls -R

4. Special Listings

• List only hidden files:

ls -d .*

• List files sorted by size in descending order:

ls -lS

• List directories without their contents:

ls -d */

5. Using Wildcards

• List files with a specific extension:

ls *.txt

• List files that start with a specific letter:

ls a*

• List files that end with a number:

ls *[0-9]

6. Using ls with Color Output

The ls command often color-codes its output for easier readability:

Blue: Directories

• Green: Executable files
• Red: Compressed files
• Yellow: Devices or special files

To enable color (if not by default):

ls --color=auto

7. Advanced Examples

• List files in size order with human-readable sizes:

ls -lhS

• List files modified within the last 24 hours:

ls -lt --time-style="+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M" | head

• List files with details and directory sizes (using du):

ls -l | grep '^d' | awk '{print $9}' | xargs -I {} du -sh {}

8. Helpful Aliases

You can make ls easier to use by setting up aliases in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

alias ll='ls -alF'
alias la='ls -A'
alias l='ls -CF'

Apply the changes:

source ~/.bashrc

Commonly Used ls Aliases

Alias	Command	Description
ll	alias ll='ls -alF'	Long listing format with file type symbols (/, *, etc.)
la	alias la='ls -A'	List all files, excluding . and ..
l	alias l='ls -CF'	List with color and classifying symbols (/ for directories, * for executables, etc.)
lsa	alias lsa='ls -al'	List all files in long format (includes . and ..)
lst	alias lst='ls -lt'	List files sorted by modification time, newest first
lS	alias lS='ls -lS'	List files sorted by size, largest first
ld	alias ld='ls -d */'	List directories only
lx	alias lx='ls -lX'	List files sorted by extension
lq	alias lq='ls -lQ'	List files with filenames enclosed in double quotes

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Cheat Sheet

Common Options

Option	Description	Example Usage
-a	Show all files, including hidden files (those starting with .)	ls -a
-A	Show all files, excluding . and ..	ls -A
-l	List files in long format (detailed view)	ls -l
-h	Human-readable file sizes (works with -l)	ls -lh
-t	Sort by modification time (newest first)	ls -lt
-r	Reverse the sorting order	ls -lr
-S	Sort by file size (largest first)	ls -lS
-R	Recursively list subdirectories	ls -R
-d	List directories themselves, not their contents	ls -d */
-1	List one file per line (useful for scripting)	ls -1

Sorting Options

Option	Description	Example Usage
-t	Sort by modification time (most recent first)	ls -lt
-S	Sort by file size (largest first)	ls -lS
-X	Sort by extension	ls -lX
-v	Sort by version (numerical sorting for version numbers)	ls -lv

Filtering Options

Option	Description	Example Usage
--color=auto	Enable colored output (auto-detects terminal)	ls --color=auto
-I	Ignore files that match the given pattern	ls -I "*.bak"
-f	Do not sort the output (immediate listing)	ls -f
-Q	Enclose filenames in double quotes	ls -Q

Advanced Usage

Option	Description	Example Usage
-L	Follow symbolic links and list the file they point to	ls -lL
-p	Append a / to directory names	ls -p
-F	Classify files with a symbol (/ for directories, * for executables, etc.)	ls -F
-B	Exclude backup files (those ending with ~)	ls -B
-X	Sort files by extension	ls -X
--block-size=SIZE	Set the block size used for file sizes (e.g., KB, MB)	ls -lh --block-size=M

Using Wildcards with ls

Wildcard	Description	Example Usage
*	Matches any string of characters	ls *.txt
?	Matches exactly one character	ls file?.txt
[]	Matches any single character inside the brackets	ls file[1-5].txt
!	Matches anything except the following pattern	`ls !(file1

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