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man command: read a command's manual

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A sandbox for trying man. Nothing here can touch your real files.
user@webterm:~/project$
 

man opens the official manual for a command. Learn which sections to read first, how to search for the option you need, and how to get out with q, by running the commands in a real terminal in your browser.

Updated: 2026-09-05

Syntax

man command

Opens the official manual for that command. On a real machine it is displayed by less, so q takes you back.

Try it first

$ man ls | head -12
NAME
    ls - list directory contents

SYNOPSIS
    ls [OPTION]... [FILE]...

DESCRIPTION
    List information about the FILEs (the current directory by default).

OPTIONS
    -a, --all
        do not ignore entries starting with .

The | head -12 is only there to keep this excerpt short. Typing man ls on its own opens the whole page.

What to read, in what order

You are not meant to read it top to bottom. This order gets you what you need.

SectionWhat it gives you
NAMEOne line. Confirms what the command is for
SYNOPSISThe shape of the command line, and where options go
DESCRIPTIONThe details, including what happens by default
OPTIONSThe flag that matches what you are trying to do
EXAMPLESSomething you can copy

NAME and SYNOPSIS are usually enough. Once you spot the option you want, read only that entry.

Searching inside it

Type / followed by the text to jump straight there.

  • /-l finds the description of -l
  • n goes to the next match
  • q closes the page

Option lists are long, so searching beats scrolling.

When you actually reach for it

man is where you go to check the option you half remember.

SituationWhat you type
Confirm what an option doesman ls
Just remind me of the syntaxls --help
Learn to use man itselfman man
Find out where a command liveswhich ls

Things that trip people up

q gets you out. Same key as less. A manual page is read-only, so quitting changes nothing.

Not every command has a page.

$ man nosuchcmd
No manual entry for 'nosuchcmd'

Either it is a typo, the command is not installed, or it is a shell builtin.

Do not try to read the whole thing. Manual pages are written to be complete, not to be read start to finish. Skimming for the section you need is the intended use.

Practise it hands-on

webterm.appthis site

  • Advanced Terminal Commands

    Learn commands for specific situations

    Try the tutorial

learn.webterm.appa separate site

>_WEBTERM LEARN

WebTerm Learn: from one command to actually using it

Commands stick when they show up in a real sequence of work, not one at a time. There is a course that builds them up in order.

See the course

Related commands

ls / less / which

Frequently asked questions

What does man stand for?
Manual. It shows the official documentation that ships with the command.
How do I get out of man?
Press q. On a real machine the page is displayed by less, so all the less keys work here too.
Can I search for a particular option?
Type / followed by the text while the page is open. To find -l, type /-l.
When should I use man and when --help?
--help prints a short reminder of the syntax. man is exhaustive, so read it when you need the details or the difference between similar options.
It says there is no manual entry
Either the manual is not installed or the command is a shell builtin. For builtins like cd, use help cd instead.