Written by
Sherry Song
Summary: Have you used Stat command on Mac? Do you know what it exactly is and what information it really means? Today, follow iBoysoft, and we can offer you a brief introduction to it.
Mac Terminal offers a wide range of powerful command-line tools, one of which is stat command. If you're managing files, scripting, or troubleshooting system issues, macOS stat commands can provide in-depth details about files and directories beyond what the Finder or ls command reveals.
This article explains what is the stat command on Mac, what kind of information it provides, how it differs from the Linux version, and what to do if it doesn't work properly.
What does the stat command provide?
The stat command displays detailed status information about a file or directory. This includes metadata such as size, permissions, timestamps, and inode numbers.
File size in bytes, Permissions (read/write/execute), Ownership (user and group), Access, modification, and change times (atime, mtime, ctime), Inode number, Number of hard links, and so on.
Commonly Used Options on macOS:
- stat filename: Displays default file information
- stat -x filename: Shows extended output with readable formatting
- stat -f "%z bytes" filename: Custom output showing only the file size
- stat -f: BSD-style format used in macOS (unlike GNU/Linux)
Type (e.g., apfs), block size, total/free blocks/inodes. - stat - L: Follows symlinks (show target metadata).
Keep in mind that macOS uses the BSD variant of stat, which differs slightly from the Linux version in syntax and output format.
Common Usage Examples
Here are several practical examples of how to use stat on a Mac:
- Check detailed info on a file: stat -x file.txt
- Display only the file size in bytes: stat -f "%z" file.txt
- Use in a script to track file changes:
if [ "$(stat -f %m file.txt)" -gt 1700000000 ]; then
echo "File has been modified recently."
fi
These examples show how stat is useful in monitoring, automation, and advanced file management.
Do you know how to use it here? Please share our post.
macOS vs Linux stat command
The stat command on macOS follows BSD-style syntax, whereas Linux uses GNU stat. This results in differences in behavior:
| Feature | macOS (BSD) | Linux (GNU) |
| Custom formatting | -f option | --format or -c |
| Readable output | -x | -c with formatting string |
| Compatibility | Not fully cross-platform | More standardized for Linux |
If you run Linux-style stat commands on a Mac, they may return errors or incorrect results.
How to Fix macOS's stat command not working
If the stat command doesn't work as expected on your Mac, here are a few solutions:
- Check the syntax: Ensure you're using BSD-compatible options (e.g., -f, -x) rather than GNU/Linux-style flags.
- Update your command line tools: Run xcode-select --install to make sure you have the latest macOS command line tools.
- Use absolute paths: Sometimes relative paths or special characters can cause unexpected errors.
- Use quotes for special characters: If the filename has spaces, wrap it in quotes: stat -x "My File.txt".
- Try using the full path to stat: /usr/bin/stat -x file.txt
Alternatives and Related Commands
If the stat command doesn't provide exactly what you need, macOS has other commands for checking file information:(Choose your preferred one)
- ls command -l: Lists basic file details like size, permissions, and modification date.
- mdls: Displays Spotlight metadata for a file.
- GetFileInfo: Part of Xcode tools, provides additional file info.
- xattr: Lists or modifies extended file attributes.
- …
These tools complement stat and help you gather specific file-level data in macOS. If you feel this post is useful, please share~
