Windows
Linux
Text Processing
PowerShell Text
Windows PowerShell Get-Content -Tail equivalent in Linux
Prints the end of a file.
Windows
→
PowerShell Get-Content -Tail
Linux equivalents
tail -n 20 file
tail -n 20 file
tail -n 20 file
Overview
What this command does
Prints the end of a file.
Migration tip: Check the distro-specific rows before copying; package names and service names can differ even when the tool name is similar.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Show last lines
Prints the end of a file.
tail -n 20 file
Show last lines
tail --help
Show command help when supported
man tail
Open the manual page when installed
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
tail -n 20 file
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows equivalent: PowerShell Get-Content -Tail
tail -n 20 fileReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
tail -n 20 file | Show last lines |
tail --help | Show command help when supported |
man tail | Open the manual page when installed |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
The equivalent is shown for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch. Some rows use a different package manager or helper tool where Linux distributions commonly diverge.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | tail -n 20 file |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | tail -n 20 file |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | tail -n 20 file |
Same command on this distribution. |
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