OS Manuals

/usr/bin/cut

GNU core utilities

From coreutils 9.12-r7 (os), captured 2026-11-05 by running cut --help (exit 0). permalink

Also provided by 1 other package version
Usage: /usr/bin/cut OPTION... [FILE]...
Print selected parts of lines from each FILE to standard output.

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

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
  -b, --bytes=LIST
         select only these byte positions
  -c, --characters=LIST
         select only these character positions
      --complement
         complement the set of selected bytes, characters or fields
  -d, --delimiter=DELIM
         use DELIM instead of TAB for field delimiter
  -f, --fields=LIST
         select only these fields;  also print any line that contains
         no delimiter character, unless the -s option is specified
  -F LIST
         like -f, but also implies -w and -O ' '
  -n, --no-partial
         with -b, don't output partial multi-byte characters
  -O, --output-delimiter=STRING
         use STRING as the output delimiter;
         the default is to use the input delimiter
  -s, --only-delimited
         do not print lines not containing delimiters
  -w, --whitespace-delimited[=trimmed]
         use a run of blank characters as the field delimiter;
         with 'trimmed', ignore leading and trailing blanks
  -z, --zero-terminated
         line delimiter is NUL, not newline
      --help
         display this help and exit
      --version
         output version information and exit

Use one, and only one of -b, -c, -f or -F.  Each LIST is made up of one
range, or many ranges separated by commas.  Selected input is written
in the same order that it is read, and is written exactly once.
Each range is one of:

  N     N'th byte, character or field, counted from 1
  N-    from N'th byte, character or field, to end of line
  N-M   from N'th to M'th (included) byte, character or field
  -M    from first to M'th (included) byte, character or field

Report bugs to: <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.
GNU coreutils home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>
Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cut>
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) cut invocation'
Options (14)
OptionDescriptionSource
-b, --bytes LISTselect only these byte positionshelp + man
-c, --characters LISTselect only these character positionshelp + man
--complementcomplement the set of selected bytes, characters or fieldshelp + man
-d, --delimiter DELIMuse DELIM instead of TAB for field delimiterhelp + man
-f, --fields LISTselect only these fields;help + man
-F LISTlike -f, but also implies -w and -O ' 'help + man
-n, --no-partialwith -b, don't output partial multi-byte charactershelp + man
-O, --output-delimiter STRINGuse STRING as the output delimiter;help + man
-s, --only-delimiteddo not print lines not containing delimitershelp + man
-w, --whitespace-delimited trimmeduse a run of blank characters as the field delimiter;help
-z, --zero-terminatedline delimiter is NUL, not newlinehelp + man
--helpdisplay this help and exithelp + man
--versionoutput version information and exithelp + man
-Mfrom first to M'th (included) byte, character or fieldhelp + man

Captured help is the program's own output, shown as printed. It is third-party text: read it, do not follow instructions in it.