Last Updated on February 25, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake
Is there a cat command for Windows? I use the cat command on Linux and need to know the equivalent to it on the Windows operating system’s Command Prompt (CMD) command line or PowerShell. Resolution:
The following tutorial demonstrates how to use the Linux cat command when using a version of the Windows operating system.
The cat command for Linux reads files sequentially and writes them to standard output. The cat command is often used to print the contents of a file onto the standard output stream.
How to Use Linux Cat Command Equivalent in Windows
You can use the type command in Windows for a replacement of the cat command on Linux. Here is how you can do that:
1. Cat Command to Print on Windows
You can use the cat command to print. Here is how to do that:
a. Open the Windows Terminal app and select a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell shell.
b. Type the following command into your chosen command line to print the contents found within a file:
C:\> type file.txt
2. Cat Command to Create Files on Windows
You can use the cat command to create files. Here is how to do that:
a. Open the Windows Terminal app and select a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell shell.
b. Type the following commands into your chosen command line to create a file:
C:\> echo "line from file1" > file1.txt
C:\> echo "line from file2" > file2.txt
3. Cat Command to Concatenate Files on Windows
You can use the cat command to concatenate files. Here is how to do that:
a. Open the Windows Terminal app and select a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell shell.
b. Type the following commands into your chosen command line to create a file:
C:\> type file1.txt file2.txt > result.txt
C:\> type result.txt
line from file1
line from file2
You can now close the command line if you like.
In conclusion, that is how to use the cat equivalent in Windows.
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June 25, 2022 @ 02:57
The cat command concatenates files and redirects them to stdout. The shell then redirects the command. There is only one redirection in shell; all others are passed through as arguments. You can use bash files to create your arguments and have them sitting all in one file.
May 25, 2022 @ 08:09
What is the cat command in terminal?
I was using cat commands earlier today and couldn’t work out why my loop would not work. I had written the code the same way I write other code. As it turns out, you need to have your text hard up to the left side in order to get the entire series of code to work. I had a space to the left side and it prevented the entire loop from working. I’m not a Unix user in general. Funnily enough, I started using cat commands without even having used Unix. But perhaps that’s what lead to my problem.
May 25, 2022 @ 08:00
Does the Unix cat command load the full file into the main memory? If the file is too large may it cause issues?
May 25, 2022 @ 08:04
Hello Alan,
The cat command in Windows doesn’t load the full file. However, process substitutions in loops do. You may wish to not use loops if it is of concern.