Difference Between “more” and “less” Commands

Most modern Linux users prefer less for its power and flexibility.

Alby Andersen

Both more and less are text paging utilities in Linux and Unix-like systems, but they differ significantly in functionality and flexibility:

Origin and Philosophy

  • more: The original Unix pager, developed in the 1970s
  • less: Developed later (1980s) as an improved version of more, playing on the phrase “less is more”

Key Differences

Navigation Capabilities

more:

  • Only allows forward navigation (can’t go back up)
  • Limited to scrolling down through a file
  • Once you scroll past content, you can’t view it again without restarting

less:

  • Supports bidirectional navigation (both forward and backward)
  • Can scroll up/down, page by page or line by line
  • Allows jumping to the beginning or end of a file

Memory Usage

  • more: Loads the entire file into memory at once, which can be problematic for very large files
  • less: Loads files incrementally, only reading portions needed for display, making it more efficient for large files

Search Capabilities

  • more: Limited search functionality (only forward searching)
  • less: Robust search capabilities, including:
    • Forward and backward searching
    • Regular expression support
    • Case-sensitive/insensitive options
    • Highlighting of search results

Interactive Features

  • more: Basic set of commands
  • less: Extensive command set, including:
    • Marking positions in the file for easy return
    • Multiple file support with ability to switch between files
    • Ability to edit the file being viewed (by launching an editor)
    • Real-time file monitoring (similar to tail -f)

Command Syntax Examples

# Basic usage
more filename.txt
less filename.txt

# Using with pipes
command | more
command | less

# Following file changes (only in less)
less +F logfile.txt

# Searching (while viewing)
# In more: /pattern (forward only)
# In less: /pattern (forward) or ?pattern (backward)

Exit Behavior

  • more: Automatically exits when it reaches the end of the file
  • less: Stays open until you explicitly quit (by pressing ‘q’)

When to Use Which

Use more when:

  • You need a simple, lightweight pager
  • You only need to read through a file once from top to bottom
  • Working on very old Unix systems where less might not be available

Use less when:

  • Working with large files
  • Need to search and navigate back and forth
  • Monitoring log files in real-time
  • Require advanced features like multiple file handling

The phrase “less is more” is particularly apt here, as less provides more functionality while using fewer system resources for large files.

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