The “tree” Command in Linux [12 Practical Examples]

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The tree is a command-line utility that recursively lists the contents of a directory in a tree-like format, with each directory shown as a folder and each file shown as a file. The tree command also shows the file permissions and other attributes of each file and directory. It is useful for visualizing the hierarchical structure of a file system and for quickly navigating through complex directory structures.

Syntax of “tree” Command

The syntax of the tree command in Linux is:

tree [OPTION]... [DIRECTORY]...

Options of “tree” Command

You can learn more about the tree command, its options, and their uses by checking the man page using:

man tree

Installing the “tree” Command in Linux

The tree command is not a part of the standard Linux distribution, so it needs to be installed separately. Write the below command on your terminal to install tree command:

sudo apt-get install tree

Upon completion of these steps, the tree command will be installed on your machine.

Practical Examples of the “tree” Command in Linux

In Linux, the “tree” command is a helpful tool to visualize the hierarchical structure of a file system, which helps you to navigate quickly through complex directory structures. In the section below, I will show you some of the most useful applications for the tree command in Linux.

1. Display Files of a Directory

The tree command in Linux allows you to display the files of a specific directory in a tree-like format, which helps visualize the hierarchical structure.

Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree

In the following image, you can see the list of contents inside my current directory.

Note: You can use the directory name or directory path after the tree command to see the contents of any specific directory.

2. Display Hidden Files Along With Other Files

You can display the hidden files (The name of the hidden files starts with a dot ”.”)along with the regular contents of a directory by using the tree -a command. In this example, I will display the hidden files along with the regular contents of the “manual” directory using the tree command.

Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -a

In the image below, you can see the hidden file named “.abc.txt” which was invisible in the previous image.

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3. Display the List of Directories

Using the tree command in Linux followed by the option -d, you can display only a list of directories held by any directory. Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -d

The list of only directories contained in the “manual” directory is shown in the accompanying image.

4. Display Full Path of Files and Folders as Prefix

To display the full path of files and folders, use tree -f command. Open the terminal and type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -f

The list of files & directories contained in the “manual” directory is shown in the image below with their full paths as prefixes.

5. Display the Size of Files and Folders

You can show the file and directory size in front of that file or directory name by using the -s or -h options. Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -h

In the following image, you can see that the size of the contents is shown before their name.

6. Display Read-Write Permission of Files and Folders

The tree command is capable of showing you each file’s permissions list with the help of option -p. Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -h

In the image below, you can see the permission list of each file prior to the file name.

7. List Contents to a Certain Level/Depth

You can set the tree command to display the tree at a specific level or path rather than listing every item in our directory. The syntax is: tree -a -L <number of levels>, For instance, use the following command to show tree up to level 1:

tree -a -L 1

The below image shows you the first-level items inside the “manual” directory.

8. Print the Device Number to Which the File or Directory Belongs

The tree command allows you to print the device number to which the file or directory belongs. To print the device number before the file name, you have to use the --device option after the tree command. Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree --device

The below image shows you the device number prior to the file or directory name where the items belong.

9. Redirect the Output of the “tree” Command to a File

You can redirect the output of the tree command to a file by using the option -o. For example, to redirect the output to a text file named “file.txt”, execute the following command:

tree -o file.txt

Now, run the command to see the redirected output

cat file.txt

The image in the section below shows the process of redirecting the output of the tree command and the redirected output through the cat command.

10. Print the File Names in Double-Quotes

To print the file names in double-quotes, use the -Q option after the tree command. Run the following command.

tree -Q

In the image below, you can see that the outputs are shown in double-quotes.

11. Sort the Files in Reverse Alphabetical Order

The tree command in Linux allows you to sort the contents of a directory according to the first letter of their name. Use -r option with tree command for the purpose. Run the following command into the command prompt:

tree -r

The below image shows the contents of the “manual” directory sorted reverse alphabetically.

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12. Sort Files Based on the Last Modification

To sort files based on the last modification time, use option -t. You can also use option -D to display the last modification date as well. Type the following command into the command prompt:

tree -tD

In the following image, you can see that I have sorted the files according to the last modification time.

Conclusion

In this article, I’ve discussed the tree command, which is useful for exploring the file structure, organizing files and directories on a personal computer, and debugging issues with file permissions or directory structure. At the same time, I’ve discussed its options and provided some relevant examples. Hopefully, this article will help you better understand the tree command and its use. Consequently, it will make your journey easier to become a power user of the Linux command line.

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