Quick Tip

Tame Your Terminal: Unmask Hidden Files with `ls -A`

Challenge: When working in directories, you often need to see all files, including those starting with a dot (‘.’) which are hidden by default. Standard ‘ls’ won’t show them.

The Solution: Use the ls -A command.

ls -A

Why it works: The -A flag (almost all) tells ‘ls’ to list all entries except for ‘.’ (current directory) and ‘..’ (parent directory). This is often more useful than ‘ls -a’ which includes these two entries.

Pro-Tip: Combine it with other flags like ls -Alh for a detailed, human-readable list of all files, including hidden ones.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 6/20/2026