Linux ls Command Sort Files By Size

I’m glad you’re interested in learning about the “ls” command and sorting by file size. In this article, I’ll walk you through the “ls” command and, specifically, how to sort the output by file size.

Table of Contents

What is ls?

First, let’s talk about the “ls” command. “ls” is a command that lists the files and directories in a directory. When you run the “ls” command without any options, it will simply display the names of all the files and directories in the current directory.

But there are many options that you can use with the “ls” command to modify its behavior and get more information about the files and directories.

One of the options that you can use with the “ls” command is the “-l” option. This option causes the “ls” command to display the files and directories in a “long format,” which includes additional information such as the file’s permissions, the owner, the group, the size, and the date it was last modified.

The “-S” option sorts the output by file size. This option will sort the files and directories by their size, with the largest files appearing first. This can be very useful when you’re trying to find the largest files on your system or when you’re trying to free up some space on your hard drive.

Here’s an example of how you might use the “-S” option with the “ls” command:

ls -lS

This will display the files and directories in the current directory in long format and sorted by file size.

In addition, if you want to see only the largest files in the current directory, you can use the command:

ls -lS | head

This will display the 10 largest files in the current directory. You can change the number of files displayed by replacing “head” with “head -n x,” where x is the number of files you want to see.

Another option you can use with the “ls” command is the “-r” option. This option will reverse the order of the files and directories so that the smallest files appear first. This can be useful when trying to find the smallest files on your system.

Here’s an example of how you might use the “-r” option with the “ls” command:

ls -lSr

This will display the files and directories in the current directory in long format, sorted by file size, with the smallest files appearing first.

You can also combine the “-S” and “-r” options to sort the files in descending order of size and then reverse the order to get the smallest files first.

ls -lSr | head

This will display the 10 smallest files in the current directory.

Conclusion

The “ls” command is a powerful command that can be used to list the files and directories in a directory, and there are many options that you can use to modify its behavior. The “-S” option is particularly useful when finding your system’s largest or smallest files.

Combining it with the “-r” option will sort the files in descending order of size and then reverse the order to get the smallest files first.

I hope this article has helped understand how to use the “ls” command and sorting by file size. Experiment with the command and different options to see what works best.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sort the output of the “ls” command by multiple criteria?

Yes, you can use the “sort” command and the “ls” command to sort the output by multiple criteria. For example, you can use the following command to sort the output of the “ls” command by file size and then by file name:

ls -lS | sort -k 5 -k 9

The “-k” option is used to specify the field to sort by, and in this example, we’re sorting by field 5 (the file size) and then by field 9 (the file name).

Can I use the “ls” command to sort files by their creation date instead of their modified date?

Yes, you can use the “ls” command with the “-lt” option to sort the files by their creation date instead of their modified date. The “-t” option sorts the files by their modification time (the default), and the “-c” option sorts the files by their status change time.

Here’s an example of how you might use the “-lc” option with the “ls” command:

ls -lc

This will display the files and directories in the current directory in long format and sorted by file creation date.

Can I use the “ls” command to sort files by their extension?

Yes, you can use the “ls” command with the “-X” option to sort the files by their extension. This option sorts the files alphabetically by their extension.

Here’s an example of how you might use the “-X” option with the “ls” command:

ls -X

This will display the files and directories in the current directory in alphabetical order by their extension.

Can I use the “ls” command to sort files by multiple criteria?

Yes, you can use the “ls” command with multiple options to sort the files by multiple criteria. For example, you can sort the files by file size and then by file name or by file creation date and then by file size.

Here’s an example of how you might use multiple options with the “ls” command: