head & tail - View File Parts in Linux
From the Linux Essential Commands cheat sheet · File Viewing & Editing · verified Jul 2026
head & tail - View File Parts
View the beginning or end of files
bash
# View first 10 lines
head file.txt
# View first N lines
head -n 20 file.txt
# View last 10 lines
tail file.txt
# View last N lines
tail -n 30 file.txt
# Follow file updates (logs)
tail -f /var/log/syslog✅ head shows beginning of file, tail shows end
💡 tail -f follows file updates in real-time
🔍 Perfect for monitoring log files as they grow
filesviewlogs
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