•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
catfilename
catConcatenate and display - shows file contents to the terminal.
Terminal
C:\Users\User>cat filename
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
catfile1file2
file1 file2Multiple files - cat displays them one after another.
Terminal
C:\Users\User>cat file1 file2
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.