# head(1) - man - phpman

> **TLDR:** Output the first part of files.
>
- Output the first few lines of a file:
  `head -n {{count}} {{path/to/file}}`

*Source: tldr-pages*

---

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## NAME
       head - output the first part of files

## SYNOPSIS
       **head** [_OPTION_]... [_FILE_]...

## DESCRIPTION
       Print  the  first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output.  With more than one FILE, precede
       each with a header giving the file name.

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

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

### -c --bytes
              print the first NUM bytes of each file; with the leading '-', print all but  the  last
              NUM bytes of each file

### -n --lines
              print the first NUM lines instead of the first 10; with the leading '-', print all but
              the last NUM lines of each file

### -q --quiet --silent
              never print headers giving file names

### -v --verbose
              always print headers giving file names

### -z --zero-terminated
              line delimiter is NUL, not newline

       **--help** display this help and exit

### --version
              output version information and exit

       NUM may have a multiplier suffix: b 512, kB 1000, K  1024,  MB  1000*1000,  M  1024*1024,  GB
       1000*1000*1000,  G 1024*1024*1024, and so on for T, P, E, Z, Y.  Binary prefixes can be used,
       too: KiB=K, MiB=M, and so on.

## AUTHOR
       Written by David MacKenzie and Jim Meyering.

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

## COPYRIGHT
       Copyright © 2020 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
       [tail(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tail/1/markdown)

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



GNU coreutils 8.32                          January 2026                                     [HEAD(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/HEAD/1/markdown)