How To Open A File In Linux Using 3 Different Approaches!

Linux is a widely used open-source operating system that many programmers, IT professionals, and everyday consumers utilize. In Linux, we can display various file formats such as text files, audio files, videos, images, docs, pdf, or any other file contents. How to open a file in Linux is one of the core steps that any Linux user must know. 

Before proceeding further, it's crucial to know that Linux offers a variety of text editors and file managers that may be used to open and edit files. Linux also has a command-line interface that may be used to open files using different commands. In this article, we are going to discuss three different ways through which you can easily open and view a file in Linux.

Opening a Linux file using a File Manager

Linux provides several file managers that can be used to navigate and manage different kinds of files. Some of the popular file managers in Linux are Nautilus, Thunar, and PCManFM. To open a file using a file manager, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the file manager by clicking on the File Manager icon in the Application menu.

Step 2: Move to the location (file path) where the source file is already stored.

Step 3: Click on the file to open it. If the file is a text file, it will be opened in the default text editor.

Opening a Linux file using a Text Editor

Linux provides several text editors that can be used to edit text files. Some of the popular text editors in Linux are Nano, Vim, and Emacs. To open a file using a text editor, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Launch the text editor by typing the text editor name in the terminal. For example, to launch Vim, type "vim" in the terminal and press Enter.

Step 2: Scroll down to the location where the file is stored with the help of file navigation commands of the text editor.

Step 3: Open the file by typing the filename and pressing Enter.

Opening a Linux file using Command Line Interface

Linux provides a command-line interface that can be used to open files using various commands. The command will also work with other common file extensions. Following are some useful file commands to open a file from the terminal:

1. The cat Command

The cat command in Linux is a useful utility that is used to concatenate, display and create files in the terminal. The cat command is often used to display the contents of a complete file in the terminal window without actually opening it in a text editor or file manager. It prints the file content to the standard output in the default editor.

To display the content of the original file run the following file command in the terminal: 

cat <file name>

2. The less Command

The less command in Linux allows you to view the contents of a file one page at a time. Unlike the cat command, which displays the entire contents of a file in the terminal window, the less command is designed to handle large configuration files and allows you to scroll through the contents of an entire file one page at a time. It also supports better handling of binary files.

Run the following command in the terminal: 

less filename.txt

3. The head Command

The head command in Linux allows you to view the first few lines of a file by default. The head command is commonly used when you want to quickly preview the contents of a file without having to open the entire previous file.

To open a file by using the head command, run the following command in the terminal:

head < file name>

4. The tail Command

The tail command in Linux allows you to view the last few lines of the default file. The tail command is commonly used when you want to monitor the end of a log file or other constantly updating target file type.

Run the following command in the terminal text editor: 

tail <file name>

5. The more Command

The more command is another useful utility in Linux for opening files. It allows you to view the content in a file one screen at a time, allowing you to scroll through the current file and easily view its contents.

Open the terminal and run the following command: 

more Filename.txt

6. The nl Command

In Linux, the nl command is used to add line numbers to a file. We can use this command in the same way as the cat command, and the only difference is that nl has line numbers enabled by default.

To open and view a file using nl command,  run the following in the terminal window: 

nl filename.txt

Conclusion

Opening and viewing a file in Linux is a very easy process. Every Linux user should be familiar with the fundamental process of opening a file. Many text editors, file managers, and command-line tools are available in Linux. The different methods mentioned above make it simple to open files in Linux and start editing them.

We hope now you have a good understanding of how to open a file in Linux. Here are some other suggested reads:

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