•Arnošt Havelka
Reading Files with cat
Use cat to quickly view file contents in the terminal.
Start Interactive Lesson
The cat command reads and displays file contents. It's the fastest way to peek at what's inside a file.
View a Single File
Use cat followed by a filename to see its entire contents.
Try the command
View a file's contents!
Build the command
cat
Terminal
C:\Users\User>cat file.txt
See what's inside:
Command Prompt
C:\Users\User>cat notes.txt
View Multiple Files
Combine multiple files to see them all at once.
Try the command
Combine multiple files!
Build the command
cat
Terminal
C:\Users\User>cat file1.txt file2.txt
Merge files on screen:
Command Prompt
C:\Users\User>cat intro.txt content.txt
Quick Tips
catis perfect for small files- For long files, use
less(page through with space/arrow keys) catshows everything at once - it won't pause if the file is long
Knowledge Check
1 / 3What does cat do?
References
These documentation links provide authoritative details for the commands used in this article.
Up Next
Creating Files with touch
Use touch to quickly create empty files.