less (Unix)
| less | |
|---|---|
 less output in an x-terminal | |
| Developer | Mark Nudelman |
| Release | 1984 |
| Stable release | 704 
/ 6 June 2026 |
| Written in | C |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | System utility |
| License | Dual-licensed under GNU GPLv3 and a custom BSD-style license |
| Website | www |
| Repository | |
less is a terminal pager program on Unix, Windows, and Unix-like systems used to view (but not change) the contents of a text file one screen at a time. It is similar to more, but has the extended capability of allowing both forward and backward navigation through the file. Unlike most Unix text editors/viewers, less does not need to read the entire file before starting, allowing for immediate viewing regardless of file size.