The man command in Linux explained
The man command shows the manual page for a command. It is one of the most useful commands for anyone using a live USB drive or a fresh Linux install.
Syntax
man command
Examples
man ls: read about ls, then press q to leave
Tip
Type /word inside a manual to search for a word.
Keep learning
New to the terminal? Start with Linux terminal basics. You can try every command safely from a live session: see how to try Linux without installing it. Run man man in a terminal for the full manual.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see every option for man?
Run man man for the full manual, or try man --help for a short summary.
Do I need sudo to run man?
Not for your own files. You only need sudo when the command changes something owned by the system or another user.
Is it safe to practise man on a live USB drive?
Mostly yes, because a live session starts fresh each time. Be careful with commands that write to your internal disk, such as rm on a mounted drive or dd.