Windows PowerShell Get-Item equivalent in Linux
Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number.
PowerShell Get-Item
stat filename.txt
stat filename.txt
stat filename.txt
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "PowerShell Get-Item" is used to inspect file metadata. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "stat filename.txt". Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number. This reference is grouped under PowerShell Equivalents → File System.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Equivalent task, different tool
Windows PowerShell Get-Item maps to stat filename.txt for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read PowerShell vs Bash.
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
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "stat filename.txt" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| 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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