head Command in Linux: Display the First Lines of a File

The head command prints the first lines (10 by default) of one or more files or piped data to standard output.

This article explains how to use the Linux head command through practical examples and detailed explanations of the most common options.

head Command Syntax #

The syntax for the head command is:

head [OPTION]... [FILE]...

• OPTION — head options. The most common options are covered in the sections below.
• FILE — Zero or more input file names. If no FILE is specified, or when FILE is -, head reads from standard input.

How to Use the head Command #

When used without any option, the head command displays the first ten lines of a file:

head filename.txt

line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6
line 7
line 8
line 9
line 10

Display a Specific Number of Lines #

Use the -n (--lines) option to specify the number of lines to display:

head -n NUMBER filename.txt

To display the first 30 lines of filename.txt, run:

head -n 30 filename.txt

You can omit the letter n and use just the hyphen and the number with no space between them:

head -30 filename.txt

Both commands produce the same result.

To display all lines except the last N, pass a negative number with -n. For example, to print all lines except the last five:

head -n -5 filename.txt

Display a Specific Number of Bytes #

The -c (--bytes) option prints the specified number of bytes from the beginning of the file:

head -c NUMBER filename.txt

For example, to display the first 100 bytes of filename.txt:

head -c 100 filename.txt

You can also append a multiplier suffix to the byte count:

The following command displays the first 5120 bytes (5 KiB) of filename.txt:

head -c 5K filename.txt

Display Multiple Files #

When multiple files are provided, head displays the first ten lines from each file. The output for each file is preceded by a header showing the file name:

head filename1.txt filename2.txt

==> filename1.txt <==
...first 10 lines of filename1.txt...

==> filename2.txt <==
...first 10 lines of filename2.txt...

You can combine this with other options. To show the first 20 lines of each file:

head -n 20 filename1.txt filename2.txt

Use head in Pipelines #

The head command is useful in pipelines to limit the output of other commands. Pipe the output of any command into head to see only the first few lines.

To show the five most recently modified files in a directory:

ls -lt | head -n 5

To show only the first line of a file, for example to read a CSV header row:

head -1 filename.txt

To show the ten lowest values after sort ing a file numerically:

sort -n filename.txt | head

To count the words in just the first 20 lines using wc :

head -n 20 filename.txt | wc -w

To generate a random 24-character string by hashing the $RANDOM environment variable :

echo $RANDOM | sha512sum | head -c 24; echo

Quick Reference #

FAQ #

What is the difference between head and tail?
head prints the first lines of a file; tail prints the last lines. Use head to preview the beginning of a file and tail to inspect the most recent entries, such as the bottom of a log file.

How do I display only the first line of a file?
Use head -n 1 filename.txt or the shorthand head -1 filename.txt. This is useful for reading the header row of a CSV file or checking the first entry in a log.

How do I display all lines except the last N?
Pass a negative number to -n. For example, head -n -10 filename.txt prints all lines except the last ten. This works on GNU head (Linux); macOS head does not support negative values with -n.

Can I use head with grep ?
Yes. Pipe grep output through head to limit the number of matching lines shown:

grep "pattern" file.txt | head -n 5

Conclusion #

The head command is a fast way to preview the beginning of a file or limit the output of other commands in a pipeline. It pairs naturally with tail , sort , grep , and wc for quick text inspection and processing.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

About the authors

Dejan Panovski

Dejan Panovski is the founder of Linuxize, an RHCSA-certified Linux system administrator and DevOps engineer based in Skopje, Macedonia. Author of 800+ Linux tutorials with 20+ years of experience turning complex Linux tasks into clear, reliable guides.

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