ls -l command in Linux
ls -l option flag lists with long listing format.
Syntax
$ ls -l [options] [file|dir]
Examples
ls, default list with short format:
$ ls
Desktop Downloads Pictures Templates Videos
Documents Music Public todo.txt
$
ls -l, long listing format:
$ ls -l
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40
2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17
18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
$
ls -la, long listing format with hidden files:
$ ls -la
total 40
drwxr-xr-x 25 user user 680 2011-08-17 18:07 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 60 2011-08-17 16:19 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 220 2011-08-17 16:19 .bash_logout
-rw-r--r--
1 user user 3353 2011-08-17 16:19 .bashrc
drwx------ 7 user user 220 2011-08-17 17:58 .cache
drwx------ 9 user user 220 2011-08-17 18:02 .config
drwx------ 3 user user 60 2011-08-17 16:19
.dbus
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
-rw-------
1 user user 16 2011-08-17 16:20 .esd_auth
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 100 2011-08-17 17:56 .fontconfig
drwx------ 4 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 .gconf
drwx------ 2 user user
60 2011-08-17 18:14 .gconfd
drwx------ 5 user user 100 2011-08-17 16:52 .gnome2
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 60 2011-08-17 17:58 .gstreamer-0.10
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 142 2011-08-17 16:52 .gtk-bookmarks
dr-x------ 2 user user 0 2011-08-17 16:52 .gvfs
-rw------- 1 user user 318 2011-08-17 16:52 .ICEauthority
drwxr-xr-x 3 user user 60 2011-08-17 17:56 .libreoffice
drwxr-xr-x
3 user user 60 2011-08-17 16:52 .local
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 .nautilus
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17
18:14 Pictures
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 675 2011-08-17 16:19 .profile
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwx------ 2 user user 160 2011-08-17 16:20 .pulse
-rw-------
1 user user 256 2011-08-17 16:20 .pulse-cookie
drwxr-xr-x 5 user user 100 2011-08-17 17:58 .shotwell
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
drwx------ 3 user user
60 2011-08-17 18:02 .thumbnails
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
-rw------- 1 user user 8030 2011-08-17 18:16 .xsession-errors
$
ls -lh, long listing format with file size in human readable form:
$ ls -lh
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2
user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 3K 2011-08-22 19:47 todo1.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 1.8K 2011-08-22 18:07 todo2.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 5K 2011-08-22 18:07 todo3.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Videos
$
Long listing format with file size:
$ ls -ls
total 4
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
0 drwxr-xr-x
2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52
Templates
4 -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
0 drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
$
Long listing format sorted by file size:
$ ls -lS
total 4
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Templates
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
$
Long listing format sorted by date/time:
$ ls -lt
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Templates
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
$
Long listing format in reverse order:
$ ls -lr
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52
Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
$
Long listing format sorted by date/time in reverse order:
$ ls -ltr
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07
todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
$
Long listing format with recursive list:
$ ls -lR
.:
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 80 2011-08-17 16:52 Desktop
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Documents
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Downloads
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17
16:52 Music
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 120 2011-08-17 18:14 Pictures
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Public
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Templates
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 131 2011-08-17 18:07 todo.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 40 2011-08-17 16:52 Videos
./Desktop:
total 12
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 203 2011-08-17 16:52 examples.desktop
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 7672 2011-08-17 16:19 ubiquity-gtkui.desktop
./Documents:
total 0
./Downloads:
total 0
./Music:
total 0
./Pictures:
total 556
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 94114 2011-08-17 18:13 ls-a.png
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 254129 2011-08-17 18:14 ls-full-path.png
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 102761 2011-08-17 18:13 ls-l.png
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 77374
2011-08-17 18:12 ls-s.png
./Public:
total 0
./Templates:
total 0
./Videos:
total 0
$