Windows
Linux
PowerShell Equivalents
File System
Windows PowerShell Get-Item equivalent in Linux
Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number.
Windows
→
PowerShell Get-Item
Linux equivalents
stat filename.txt
stat filename.txt
stat filename.txt
Overview
What this command does
Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number.
Migration tip:
ls -l gives a quick summary, while stat provides the full metadata record for one or more paths.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Inspect file metadata
Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number.
stat filename.txt
Show complete file metadata
stat -c "%n %s bytes %a" filename.txt
Print selected fields
stat folder/
Inspect a directory
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
stat filename.txt
stat -c "%n %s bytes %a" filename.txt
stat folder/
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
stat filename.txt # inspect a file
stat -c "%n %s bytes %a" filename.txt # show name, size and numeric permissions
stat folder/ # inspect a directoryReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
stat filename.txt | Show complete file metadata |
stat -c "%n %s bytes %a" filename.txt | Print selected fields |
stat folder/ | Inspect a directory |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | stat filename.txt |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | stat filename.txt |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | stat filename.txt |
Same command on this distribution. |
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