paste

Additional Notes

paste merges lines from multiple files, writing them side by side with a tab between columns. It is the inverse of cut and a quick way to build tables from separate column files.

When given one file, paste places one input line per output line with a chosen delimiter. Use - to read one column from standard input.

Syntax

paste [options] [file ...]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change the delimiter or mode.
• file: One or more files to merge (use - for standard input).

Common Options

• -d LIST, --delimiters=LIST: Use characters from LIST as column separators (cycled per column).
• -s, --serial: Paste one file at a time, its lines becoming one output row.
• -z: Lines end with NUL instead of newline.

Examples

paste first.txt second.txt

Join the two files as two side-by-side columns separated by tabs.

paste -d, a.txt b.txt c.txt

Merge three files using commas as the column separator.

ls | paste - - -

Read three items per row from standard input.

paste -s -d, numbers.txt

Turn one file's lines into a single comma-separated row.

cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd | paste -d, - names2.txt

Combine a column from a file with a stdin column.

Practical Notes

• The default column separator is a tab; change it with -d.
• -s is useful for turning a vertical list into a horizontal one.
• paste pairs naturally with cut and column for table building.
• When inputs have different line counts, shorter columns simply stop early.