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column -t: pretty-print delimited output as aligned tables

Format CSV files and pipe output into clean aligned tables on Linux using util-linux column.

LinuxcolumntexttableMedium risk
Pipe any whitespace- or delimiter-separated data into column -t (add -s, for commas) to pad it into aligned columns.

01Command

Command
$ column -t -s, data.csv && mount | column -t

02What it does

column -t is the fastest way to make messy columnar output readable: it measures every field, then pads each column to the widest entry. -s declares the input delimiter (comma, colon, tab), -o sets an output separator, and newer versions can even auto-detect JSON with -J. It ships with util-linux on every major distribution, yet most people never discover it — even though mount | column -t alone justifies knowing it.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk
Requirementsutil-linux column
!Warning: Fields containing the delimiter character (e.g. commas inside quoted CSV) will be split incorrectly.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • column(1) — Arch Linux manual
    Arch Linux · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: -t creates a table by detecting columns, -s sets the input delimiter, -o sets output separator
  • column(1) — Ubuntu manpage
    Canonical · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: util-linux column(1) documents -t/-s/-n table formatting behavior

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Files & Folders

06Related solutions

Create and Apply Patches with diff -u and patch
Linuxdiffpatchtext

Generate a unified diff between two files, apply it to another copy with patch, and reverse it with patch -R.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17