What command will show all directory content including hidden files in long format?

The Linux operating system consists of hundreds of files and folders that are hidden by default. Such files are known as hidden files or dot files because they always begin with a dot (.). Let's explore how you can view these hidden files on your Linux system.

The concept of hidden files is simple yet very important in Linux. They are mainly used for storing configuration files or user settings. Usually, these files are used by your system services, scripts, or other programs. For example, the .bash_logout script is executed whenever you log out of your Bash sessions. Another great example is the .gitignore file used by Git to exclude certain files from being pushed to your remote repository.

Sometimes the concept of hidden files can be used to hide certain files from the prying eyes of mostly non-advanced users.

The ls command is a widely used Linux command. In its simplest form, the command lists files and folders within a directory. However, ls doesn't list hidden files by default.

To show hidden files you must use the -a option, which commands ls to list "all" files and folders (including hidden ones).

Navigate to your home directory with the cd command and do a listing of all files using ls.

ls -a

Output:

The following command options can be used:

1. ‘-a’ or ‘–all’: In directories, do not ignore file names that start with ‘.’.
2. ‘-A’ or ‘–almost-all’: In directories, do not ignore all file names that start with ‘.’; ignore only ‘.’ and ‘..’. The ‘–all’ (‘-a’) option overrides this option.
3. ‘-l’ or ‘–format=long’ or ‘–format=verbose’: In addition to the name of each file, print the file type, file mode bits, number of hard links, owner name, group name, size, and timestamp (note Formatting file timestamps::), normally the modification time. Print question marks for information that cannot be determined. For each directory that is listed, preface the files with a line ‘total BLOCKS’, where BLOCKS is the total disk allocation for all files in that directory. The block size currently defaults to 1024 bytes, but this can be overridden (note Block size::). The BLOCKS computed counts each hard link separately; this is arguably a deficiency.

Using ls Command to Show Hidden Files in Ubuntu Terminal

You can use the following ls command options to list hidden files (see screenshots):

Note that there is a difference between -a and -A option. The -a option displays hidden files and directories with current directory (.) and parent directory (..) where -A ls command options doesn’t show it.

Which command shows all the files and directory including hidden?

What is the command to display all the contents of a directory or folder including hidden files in Linux?

Which is command option lists all files including hidden files?

What command shows all hidden files in a directory in Linux?