CAT

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: February 2026
Index Return to Main Contents

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NAME

cat - concatenate files and print on the standard output  

SYNOPSIS

cat [,OPTION/]... [,FILE/]...  

DESCRIPTION

Concatenate FILE(s) to standard output.

With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-A'-A, --show-allX'tty: link'

equivalent to -vET

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-b'-b, --number-nonblankX'tty: link'

number nonempty output lines, overrides -n

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-e'-eX'tty: link'

equivalent to -vE

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-E'-E, --show-endsX'tty: link'

display $ or ^M$ at end of each line

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-n'-n, --numberX'tty: link'

number all output lines

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-s'-s, --squeeze-blankX'tty: link'

suppress repeated empty output lines

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-t'-tX'tty: link'

equivalent to -vT

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-T'-T, --show-tabsX'tty: link'

display TAB characters as ^I

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-u'-uX'tty: link'

(ignored)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ca-v'-v, --show-nonprintingX'tty: link'

use ^ and M- notation, except for LFD and TAB

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cat#ca-help'--helpX'tty: link'

display this help and exit

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cat#ca-version'--versionX'tty: link'

output version information and exit

 

EXAMPLES

cat f - g

Output f's contents, then standard input, then g's contents.

cat

Copy standard input to standard output.

 

AUTHOR

Written by Torbjorn Granlund and Richard M. Stallman.  

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to: bug-coreutils@gnu.org

Report Gentoo bugs to: https://bugs.gentoo.org/
GNU coreutils home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>
Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>  

SEE ALSO

tac(1)

Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cat>
or available locally via: info aq(coreutils) cat invocationaq

Packaged by Gentoo (9.10 (p0))
Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

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Index

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

AUTHOR

REPORTING BUGS

SEE ALSO