8 Powerful ‘ls’ Tricks Every Linux User Should Know

The ls command is a staple for Linux users, but beyond the basic ls -l there are many powerful options that can streamline file management tasks.

Usage 1: List detailed information recursively

Command: ls -lR /home/alvin/test_dir/ The -l flag produces a long listing, while -R makes the command recurse into all sub‑directories, showing every file and folder under the specified path.

Usage 2: List files that start with a specific prefix

Command: ls -l atb* This lists detailed information for all files whose names begin with atb in the current directory.

Usage 3: Show only sub‑directories

Method 1 : ls -F /home/alvin/test_dir | grep /$ Method 2 : ls -p /home/alvin/test_dir | grep /$ Method 3 : ls -l /home/alvin/test_dir | grep "^d" Method 4 : ls -d */ The -F and -p options append a character to each name to indicate its type (e.g., / for directories). The regular expression / at the end of the line ( /\$) filters for those entries. -d treats directories as plain files, preventing their contents from being listed.

Usage 4: List files by modification time (oldest last)

Command:

ls -ltr

-t

sorts by modification time (newest first) and -r reverses the order, so the oldest entries appear at the bottom.

Usage 5: Sort files by size

Command:

ls -lhS

-S

sorts by size (largest first). Adding -h makes sizes human‑readable (e.g., K, M). Use -r together with -S to list smallest files first.

Usage 6: Count files and directories

Count files : ls -l | grep "^-" | wc -l The pattern ^- matches regular files; the pipeline counts them.

Count directories : ls -l | grep "^d" | wc -l The pattern ^d matches directory entries; the pipeline counts them.

Usage 7: List absolute paths of all files (non‑recursive)

Command: ls | sed "s:^:`pwd`/:" The sed expression prefixes each filename with the current working directory ( `pwd`), producing full paths.

Usage 8: List absolute paths of all files including hidden ones, without recursion

Command:

find $PWD -maxdepth 1 | xargs ls -ld

find $PWD -maxdepth 1

lists every entry in the current directory (including hidden files). Passing the result to ls -ld via xargs prints a detailed listing with absolute paths.