6 Ways to View or Open a File in the Linux Terminal

Gaining power implicit the Linux operating strategy requires mastering the terminal—and 1 of the foundational skills is learning however to unfastened files from the bid line. This not lone builds assurance successful utilizing the Linux OS, but besides opens the doorway to faster workflows and automation.

What’s the Point of Using the Terminal to Open Files?

Nowadays, graphical idiosyncratic interfaces (GUIs) predominate the mode astir radical interact with their systems. For those accustomed to GUI-heavy workflows, it's earthy to wonderment wherefore anyone would opt to usage the terminal to unfastened files—especially erstwhile utilizing a rodent mightiness consciousness quicker and much intuitive.

For mundane tasks, yeah, a GUI would get the enactment done for you. But, for developers oregon powerfulness users, GUI-based workflows tin rapidly consciousness limiting.

Take opening a configuration record arsenic an example. With a GUI, you typically unfastened a record explorer, navigate done folders utilizing your mouse, double-click respective times, and yet entree the file. Now, if you are utilizing a terminal, you simply motorboat it, benignant the nonstop way if you know, and unfastened the file—no mouse, nary menus, less keystrokes. Oh! If the record needs admin permission, nary worries, benignant sudo with filename, and you are bully to go.

Beyond speed, the terminal offers much power and flexibility. For instance, if you privation to presumption conscionable the archetypal 20 lines of a ample log file, you tin bash truthful instantly with a azygous command. Achieving the aforesaid successful a GUI volition necessitate you to hunt for an exertion that tin bash thing similar. In definite environments—such arsenic Raspberry Pi setups, distant servers, oregon headless systems—a GUI whitethorn not beryllium disposable astatine all. In these cases, knowing however to usage the terminal becomes essential.

Another cardinal payment of utilizing the terminal isolated from conscionable opening files is automation. Let’s accidental you request to rename 100 files based connected their modification dates, oregon you would similar to unfastened definite files oregon apps successful batch. A elemental publication tin grip this efficiently successful the terminal. With a GUI, you'd person to hunt for a third-party tool, which whitethorn person constricted features oregon adjacent necessitate you to wage for subscriptions.

Terminal-based substance editors similar Nano oregon little are importantly lighter than full-featured applications similar VS Code oregon LibreOffice. On older machines—especially those with accepted hard drives—using the terminal tin prevention clip and resources.

Finally, moving successful the terminal encourages a deeper knowing of however your strategy works. You'll people learn astir Linux record systems, permissions, and substance processing—concepts that often stay hidden erstwhile utilizing lone graphical interfaces. So, I wouldn't accidental a terminal is amended than a GUI, but if you are each successful to larn and research the satellite of computers and Linux systems, past it's champion to get utilized to with terminal.

How to View oregon Open Text Files successful the Linux Terminal

On Linux, you person respective built-in tools you tin usage to enactment with substance files, similar cat, little tail, and nano.

Cat Command

One of the astir basal methods for opening substance files is utilizing the feline (short for concatenate) command. To unfastened files utilizing feline oregon immoderate of the methods we are going to discuss, archetypal you request to unfastened a terminal successful the directory wherever the substance record is stored, oregon navigate to the directory of the substance file. Then type:

cat my-text.txt

It's accelerated and simple. But retrieve that this is not champion suited for ample substance files.

Less Command

The little command displays substance 1 leafage astatine a time. In bid to scroll, you tin property the Up and Down Arrow keys to navigate. If you privation to quit, property the Q fastener connected your keyboard.

less my-text.txt

Head and Tail Command

These commands amusement the opening oregon ending of a file. So, if you privation to spot the archetypal fewer lines of a file, type.

head my-text.txt

To spot the ending lines of a substance file, type.

tail my-text.txt

Nano

Nano is simply a command-line substance editor, which means it's antithetic from the supra utilities. With nano, you tin create, open, and edit files each from your terminal. Also, nano comes pre-installed with galore but not each Linux distros and alternatively supply you with alternative substance editors similar micro oregon vim. So you whitethorn person to instal nano yourself if launching fails.

To unfastened a record utilizing nano, type.

nano my-text.txt

If the record exists successful the directory, it volition unfastened it, different it volition make a caller record with the sanction specified.

Editing substance successful nano is simple, conscionable navigate utilizing arrow keys and marque changes. Once you are done, you tin prevention your substance record utilizing Ctrl+O and past deed the Enter cardinal to corroborate the changes. To exit, property Ctrl+X.

You volition besides spot keyboard shortcuts displayed connected your surface erstwhile utilizing nano. For example, if you privation to chopped a line, you tin bash truthful by pressing Ctrl+K, to paste a enactment pres Ctrl+U.

If you privation to hunt for circumstantial text, property Ctrl+W and benignant the connection you privation to hunt for.

Some shortcuts are hidden from nano's main screen, specified arsenic undo and redo. If you privation to undo immoderate changes, property Alt+U. To redo changes successful nano, property Alt+E. To spot each the shortcuts disposable successful nano, conscionable property Ctrl+G. This volition unfastened a assistance surface which volition amusement everything astir nano, specified arsenic navigation commands, substance editing, spellchecking and more.

If you were to unfastened oregon edit a config file, you're going to get a "permission denied" error. This is due to the fact that you are not authorized to unfastened the file. You tin easy unfastened strategy files by typing:

sudo nano system.config

You volition beryllium prompted to participate your password and the record volition open.

Not each files you person volition beryllium a substance file. You volition often person PDFs, images, and videos successful your record system. You tin unfastened media files utilizing the terminal, but typically you won't beryllium viewing them wrong the terminal itself, similar with substance files. Instead, the terminal volition enactment arsenic a launcher for an outer exertion that volition unfastened the media files.

Using XDG

You mightiness beryllium wondering what xdg-open is. It is simply a command-line inferior that opens a record utilizing the desktop system's default exertion — conscionable similar double-clicking a record successful a graphical record manager. It was introduced to simplify app launching successful terminal emulators, letting antithetic distros usage the aforesaid bid to unfastened the aforesaid record but with antithetic applications. So, astir each modern Linux desktop systems similar Ubuntu, Fedora, and Linux Mint travel with XDG.

You tin usage the xdg-open bid successful desktop environments to unfastened media files. For example, if you privation to unfastened a PDF file, type:

xdg-open my-pdf.pdf

If you person an representation file, type:

xdg-open wallpaper4.jpg

Similarly, you tin unfastened immoderate benignant of file, similar an MP3 oregon video file, fixed that you person an exertion that tin unfastened it, similar a media subordinate for video record oregon PDF reader.

Launching With Specific Apps

Apart from utilizing XDG, you tin usage circumstantial apps to unfastened files. For example, if you person a video file, you could usage the terminal to unfastened it using, let's say, VLC.

vlc my-audio.mp3

You tin besides tally VLC successful headless mode (without its GUI), which means you volition perceive the audio, but won't spot the accustomed VLC media subordinate surface shown up. To bash so, type:

cvlc my-audio.mp3

Next, if you privation to unfastened a PDF utilizing your browser, you tin bash so.

firefox my-pdf.pdf

This volition tally Firefox and unfastened the desired PDF.

Other Ways to Open Media Files Inside the Terminal

Now, if you privation to unfastened media files virtually wrong the terminal, you tin technically bash so. That said, you'll apt request to instal specialized terminal apps.

For example, if you privation to unfastened a PDF record wrong the terminal and not motorboat different GUI app, you tin bash truthful by installing pdftotext, which volition person a PDF into substance format and show it wrong the terminal. There are much retired there, similar a bid to watercourse videos successful your terminal, oregon adjacent a web browser that runs wrong the terminal.

---

So, utilizing the terminal to unfastened files isn't astir rejecting GUIs—it's astir choosing the close instrumentality for the occupation and besides getting acquainted with the bid line. When you're moving with substance files, troubleshooting a server, oregon automating tasks, the terminal is unbeatable. But for media files similar images and videos, a GUI app is inactive important.

Mastering some approaches volition springiness you the flexibility to grip conscionable astir immoderate record connected a Linux system, nary substance wherever oregon however you're working.