Text Processing
fold
Wrap each input line to fit in specified width.
Synopsis
syntax
fold [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Examples
Wrap lines at 60 characters
fold -w 60 file.txt
Wrap at spaces within 72 columns
fold -s -w 72 article.txt
Wrap PATH for readability
echo $PATH | fold -s -w 40
Common options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| -w | Wrap at specified width (default 80) |
| -s | Break at spaces |
| -b | Count bytes instead of columns |
About fold
The `fold` command wrap each input line to fit in specified width. Text processing commands transform, format, and generate text output.
Linux's philosophy of small composable tools shines here — these commands are designed to be piped together to build complex text-processing workflows. They are indispensable for scripting, log analysis, and data transformation tasks.
The command accepts 3 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man fold`). The 3 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.
Related commands
More Text Processing Commands
Other commands in the Text Processing category