OS Manuals

/usr/bin/head

GNU core utilities

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

Usage: /usr/bin/head [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Print the first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output.
With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name.

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

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
  -c, --bytes=[-]NUM
         print the first NUM bytes of each file;
         with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM bytes of each file
  -n, --lines=[-]NUM
         print the first NUM lines instead of the first 10;
         with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM lines of each file
  -q, --quiet, --silent
         never print headers giving file names
  -v, --verbose
         always print headers giving file names
  -z, --zero-terminated
         line delimiter is NUL, not newline
      --help
         display this help and exit
      --version
         output version information and exit

NUM may have a multiplier suffix:
b 512, kB 1000, K 1024, MB 1000*1000, M 1024*1024,
GB 1000*1000*1000, G 1024*1024*1024, and so on for T, P, E, Z, Y, R, Q.
Binary prefixes can be used, too: KiB=K, MiB=M, and so on.

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/head>
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) head invocation'
Options (7)
OptionDescriptionSource
-c, --bytes -]NUMprint the first NUM bytes of each file;help
-n, --lines -]NUMprint the first NUM lines instead of the first 10;help
-q, --quiet, --silentnever print headers giving file nameshelp + man
-v, --verbosealways print headers giving file nameshelp + man
-z, --zero-terminatedline delimiter is NUL, not newlinehelp + man
--helpdisplay this help and exithelp + man
--versionoutput version information and exithelp + 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.