Master the Linux ‘ls’ Command: 20 Essential Options Explained

What is ls?

The ls command lists files and directories, showing the contents of the current directory by default; with options it can provide much more detailed information.

1. Run ls without arguments

Executing ls without parameters lists only file and directory names.

2. Long listing format

Use the -l option to display a detailed list with permissions, links, owner, group, size, modification time, and name.

ls -l

Column 1: file type (d for directory, - for regular file, l for symlink)

Column 2: permission bits (rwx for owner, group, others)

Column 3: number of hard links

Column 4: owner name

Column 5: group name

Column 6: size in bytes (directories are 4096 B)

Column 7: last modification time

Column 8: file or directory name

3. Human‑readable sizes

Combine -h with -l to show sizes in KiB, MiB, etc.

ls -lh

4. Sort by size

Use -S to sort entries from largest to smallest.

ls -lhS

5. Display sizes with a specific block size

Specify a unit with --block-size=SIZE, e.g., ls -l --block-size=M to show sizes in megabytes.

ls -l --block-size=M

6. Show hidden files

Files beginning with a dot are hidden; use -a to list them.

ls -a

7. List only directories

Use -d */ to display directory entries without their contents.

ls -d */

8. Omit owner information

Use -g to hide the owner column.

ls -g

9. Omit group information

Use -G (capital G) to hide the group column.

ls -lG

10. Show numeric UID/GID

Use -n to display numeric user and group IDs.

ls -n

11. Disable color output

Use --color=never to suppress colored listings.

ls --color=never

12. Show inode numbers

Use -i to prepend the inode number to each entry.

ls -li

13. Append ‘/’ to directories

Use -p to add a trailing slash to directory names.

ls -p

14. Reverse sort order

Use -r to reverse the default sorting order.

ls -r

15. Recursive listing

Use -R to list subdirectories recursively.

ls -R

16. Sort by extension

Use -X or --sort=extension to order files by their extensions. ls -lX or

ls --sort=extension

17. Sort by modification time

Use -t to list newest files first.

ls -lt

18. List your home directory

Use ~ as a shortcut for the home path.

ls ~

19. List parent directories

Use .. to refer to the parent directory, e.g., ls ../ or ls ../../.

ls ../

ls ../../

20. Show ls version

Use --version to display the command’s version information.

ls --version

Summary

These options cover the most common uses of ls in daily work; you can always consult the manual page with man ls or ls --help for additional details.