Command library / ls

List directory contents

Lists files and directories. On its own it prints names only; options add permissions, owners, sizes, dates and hidden files. During an investigation it is usually the first command you run to see what is really inside a folder.

Usage

Options and flags

• path

  directory or file to list (default: the current directory)

• -l

  long format: permissions, owner, size and date

• -a

  show all files, including hidden ones (names starting with a dot)

• -A

  like -a, but without the . and .. entries

• -h

  human-readable sizes (K, M, G) — use together with -l

• -t

  sort by modification time, newest first

• -r

  reverse the sort order

• -R

  recursive: also list every subdirectory

• -S

  sort by file size, largest first

• -d

  list the directory itself, not its contents

Examples

• ls -la /etc

  Long listing of /etc including hidden files.

• ls -lh

  Long listing with human-readable sizes.

• ls -lt /var/log

  Newest log files first — where did activity just happen?

• ls -R /etc/ssh

  Everything under /etc/ssh, subfolders included.

Common mistakes

Related commands