🌳tree command (2024)

What is the tree command?

The tree command is a utility tool in Linux that displays the directory structure in a tree-like format. It displays all the subdirectories and files in a hierarchical manner, making it easier to understand the organization of your files and directories.

Installing the tree command

sudo apt-get install tree

How to use the tree command?

tree [options] [directory]

Here, [options] refers to the various options you can use with the command. [directory] refers to the path of the directory whose structure you want to display.

For example, to display the directory structure of the current directory, you can simply type:

tree

Some useful options

Here are some useful options you can use with the tree command:

• -a: This option will display hidden files and directories as well.
• -L level: This option allows you to specify the depth to which the directory structure should be displayed. For example, tree -L 2 will display the structure of the current directory and its immediate subdirectories only.
• -d: This option will display only directories and not files.
• -I pattern: This option allows you to specify a pattern to exclude files and directories from the tree structure. For example, tree -I '*.txt' will exclude all files with the extension .txt.

Examples:

Example 1: Displaying the directory structure of a specific directory

tree /home/user/Documents

This will display the directory structure of the Documents directory in a

Example 2: Displaying the directory structure of a specific Level 2

tree -L 2