cat

Syntax

UPPERCASE words are placeholders to replace. Brackets in the syntax line describe optional arguments; do not type those brackets literally.

cat [FILE...]

Example

cat -- note.txt

Expected result

The contents of an existing note.txt.

Notes and traps

Binary data can disrupt a terminal. -- ends option parsing in GNU tools.

Related commands

• PowerShell: Get-Content
• CMD: type

Related tasks may need different flags and have different semantics. Check the entry before translating a command between shells.

Updated 13 September 2026. Examples describe the expected behavior; not every platform is available for execution testing.