man > EXPAND(1)

EXPAND(1)                                   User Commands                                  EXPAND(1)

NAME
       expand - convert tabs to spaces

SYNOPSIS
       expand [OPTION]... [FILE]...

DESCRIPTION
       Convert tabs in each FILE to spaces, writing to standard output.

       With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

       Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

       -i, --initial
              do not convert tabs after non blanks

       -t, --tabs=N
              have tabs N characters apart, not 8

       -t, --tabs=LIST
              use  comma  separated  list of tab positions.  The last specified position can be pre‐
              fixed with '/' to specify a tab size to use after the last  explicitly  specified  tab
              stop.   Also  a prefix of '+' can be used to align remaining tab stops relative to the
              last specified tab stop instead of the first column

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit

AUTHOR
       Written by David MacKenzie.

REPORTING BUGS
       GNU coreutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
       Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright © 2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3  or  later
       <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This  is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY, to
       the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
       unexpand(1)

       Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/expand>
       or available locally via: info '(coreutils) expand invocation'

GNU coreutils 9.4                           January 2026                                   EXPAND(1)