MANPATH(1) Manual pager utils MANPATH(1)

# [NAME](#NAME)

manpath - determine search path for manual pages

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

**manpath** \[**-qgdc?V**] \[**-m** *system*\[,...]] \[**-C** *file*]

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

If $**MANPATH** is set, **manpath** will simply display its contents and issue a warning. If not, **manpath** will determine a suitable manual page hierarchy search path and display the results.

The colon-delimited path is determined using information gained from the man-db configuration file – (*/etc/man\_db.conf*) and the user's environment.

# [OPTIONS](#OPTIONS)

[**-q**, **--quiet**](#q)

Do not issue warnings.

[**-d**, **--debug**](#d)

Print debugging information.

[**-c**, **--catpath**](#c)

Produce a catpath as opposed to a manpath. Once the manpath is determined, each path element is converted to its relative catpath.

[**-g**, **--global**](#g)

Produce a manpath consisting of all paths named as "global" within the man-db configuration file.

[**-m** *system*\[,...\], **--systems=system**\[,...\]](#m)

If this system has access to other operating systems' manual hierarchies, this option can be used to include them in the output of **manpath**. To include NewOS's manual page hierarchies use the option **-m** **NewOS**.

The *system* specified can be a combination of comma delimited operating system names. To include the native operating system's manual page hierarchies, the system name **man** must be included in the argument string. This option will override the $**SYSTEM** environment variable.

[**-C file, --config-file=**file****](#C)

Use this user configuration file rather than the default of *~/.manpath*.

**-?**, **--help**

Print a help message and exit.

[**--usage**](#usage)

Print a short usage message and exit.

[**-V**, **--version**](#V)

Display version information.

# [ENVIRONMENT](#ENVIRONMENT)

[**MANPATH**](#MANPATH)

If $**MANPATH** is set, **manpath** displays its value rather than determining it on the fly.

See the **SEARCH PATH** section of [**manpath**(5)](/man/os/man-db/manpath.5) for the default behaviour and details of how this environment variable is handled.

[**SYSTEM**](#SYSTEM)

If $**SYSTEM** is set, it will have the same effect as if it had been specified as the argument to the **-m** option.

# [FILES](#FILES)

*/etc/man\_db.conf*

man-db configuration file.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**apropos**(1)](/man/os/man-db/apropos.1), [**man**(1)](/man/os/man-db/man.1), [**whatis**(1)](/man/os/man-db/whatis.1)

# [AUTHOR](#AUTHOR)

```
Wilf. (G.Wilford@ee.surrey.ac.uk).
Fabrizio Polacco (fpolacco@debian.org).
Colin Watson (cjwatson@debian.org).
```

# [BUGS](#BUGS)

https://gitlab.com/man-db/man-db/-/issues  
https://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?group=man-db

2025-05-02 2.13.1

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Document: manpath(1) from man-db 2.13.1-r55 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://gitlab.com/man-db/man-db