Quick Tip

Tame Terminal Output: Tidy Up with `column`

Challenge: When dealing with tabular data output from commands like `ls -l` or custom scripts, the columns can often become misaligned, making it hard to read and parse.

The Solution: Use the `column` command to reformat your output into neat, aligned columns.

your_command | column -t

Why it works: The `column -t` option automatically detects columns and formats them with the necessary spacing to align them perfectly, creating a clean, table-like output.

Pro-Tip: Combine `column -t` with `-s` to specify a delimiter if your output uses something other than whitespace as a separator, like your_command | column -t -s ',' for comma-separated values.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 5/17/2026