Text and processing
The cut command
Cuts columns or fields from each line. Ideal for separated listings.
Syntax
cut -d <sep> -f <campos>Most useful options
-dSets the separator-fSelects the fields-cSelects by character positionCopy-ready examples
$ cut -d : -f 1 /etc/passwdThe system users$ printf 'a,b,c\n' | cut -d , -f 2The second field$ cut -d : -f 1,3 /etc/passwdTwo fieldsYou can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.
Typical mistakes
- The default separator is the tab, not the comma.
FAQ
cut or awk?
cut is simple and fast for fixed columns; awk can compute and filter.
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