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Using the Linux info Command and Info Pages

Learn how to open, navigate, search, and troubleshoot GNU Info documentation for Linux commands such as mkdir.

The info command is a terminal documentation reader. It opens Info pages: structured, navigable documentation that is commonly generated from Texinfo source files. Texinfo is a documentation system that can produce Info files and other output formats.

It is useful to distinguish the reader from the documents. The info program is the viewer you run in the terminal; an Info page or manual is the documentation file that the viewer displays. Info documentation is especially common for GNU software, although availability varies between commands, Linux distributions, and installed packages.

Info Pages and Man Pages

A man page is a traditional Unix reference page usually opened with the man command. A man page often emphasizes concise syntax, options, environment variables, and reference details. It is frequently the quickest source when you already know what option or argument you need.

Info manuals commonly organize material into linked sections called nodes. They may include tutorials, conceptual explanations, examples, cross-references, and complete program references. However, Info is not always more detailed than a man page. Some commands have no Info manual, and some installed Info documents are brief.

Source	Best use	Typical strengths	Potential limitation
Info page	Learning a GNU tool or exploring related sections	Linked nodes, tutorials, concepts, examples, and references	May be unavailable or may vary in detail by package and distribution
Man page	Checking syntax and options quickly	Standard reference format and concise command descriptions	May provide less tutorial or conceptual material
Program `--help` output	Getting a short command summary at the shell	Fast, local, and usually focused on common options	Often too brief for complex behavior
Distribution or package documentation	Understanding packaging, configuration, or local integration	May include README files, examples, and distribution-specific notes	Location and organization differ between projects and distributions

Starting the Info Reader

Run info without an argument to open the Info directory. This is the top-level index of installed Info manuals.

info

Once the directory opens, browse its menu entries to discover which manuals are installed. GNU utilities and libraries are often listed there.

You can request a named topic or command directly. Use mkdir as an example:

info mkdir

If an Info entry for mkdir is installed, the reader opens it, usually at its introductory or top node. From there, you can locate usage, options, and related sections.

If the topic is not installed, has no Info entry, or uses a different topic name, info reports that it cannot find the requested documentation. This does not necessarily mean the command is absent; it may only mean that its Info documentation is unavailable.

How Info Documentation Is Organized

Directory page

The Info directory is the starting index containing menu entries for installed manuals. It is useful when you do not know the exact name of a manual or want to discover related documentation.

Nodes

A node is a section within an Info manual. Nodes can contain prose, examples, menus, and links to other nodes. A manual may have a top node followed by nodes for invocation, options, file formats, or advanced behavior.

Menus

A menu is a list of linked nodes or sections. Menu entries usually have a section name and a target node. Move the cursor to an entry and press Enter to select it.

Cross-references

A cross-reference is a link from one documentation section to another related section. Cross-references let you follow a topic without manually returning to the directory or guessing a section name.

Essential Info Navigation

Info is interactive: keys act on the current screen unless a search or another prompt is active. The exact bindings can differ slightly between Info implementations and versions, so use the built-in help when necessary.

Key or command	Action	When to use it
`q`	Quit Info	Return to the shell
`n`	Move to the next node	Read the next section in the manual's node sequence
`p`	Move to the previous node	Return to the preceding section in the node sequence
`u`	Move to the parent or up node	Return from a subsection to its containing section
`d`	Go to the Info directory	Return to the main installed-manual index
`t`	Go to the top node of the current manual	Return to the beginning of the manual rather than the global directory
`Enter`	Follow the selected menu item or link	Open the menu entry or cross-reference under the cursor
`s`	Start a search prompt	Find a word, phrase, or option in the current documentation
`Ctrl-s` or repeating the search	Continue searching for another occurrence	Move to the next match after the first result, where supported
`h` or `?`	Show help	Check the key bindings displayed by the installed Info implementation

For example, you can open info mkdir, select a linked subsection with Enter, use u to return to its parent node, and use n to move forward through the manual. Press d to return to the directory, or q to leave Info.

Searching Within Info

Press s while viewing a manual to invoke the interactive search prompt. Enter a word or phrase such as parents or -p, then press Enter.

Search for: parents

Info moves to the next matching occurrence in the current documentation. The match may be in ordinary prose, an option description, a menu, or another visible part of the node.

To look for another occurrence, use the implementation's repeat-search key, commonly Ctrl-s, or invoke s again and submit the same search term. A reverse-search key such as Ctrl-r may also be available. Search behavior and key bindings can depend on the installed Info implementation and version, so press h or ? if a key does not behave as expected.

Practical Example: Reading mkdir Documentation

Open the manual with info mkdir.
Read the introductory node to understand what the utility does.
Look for a menu entry related to invocation, options, or creating parent directories.
Move the cursor to the desired entry and press Enter.
Use s to search for a specific option or phrase.
Use u to return to the parent node, n or p to move through neighboring nodes, and q to exit.

The command itself can also provide a concise summary:

mkdir --help

Finding Available Documentation

When you do not know whether a command has an Info manual, start with the directory:

info

Browse its menus for the command or for a broader manual that contains the command. A manual may use a topic name that is not identical to the executable name, so directory browsing can reveal entries that a guessed command argument misses.

If there is no useful Info entry, try the command's man page and built-in help:

man mkdir
mkdir --help

Some programs place additional material in package documentation, README files, examples, or a program-specific documentation directory. The exact location depends on the project and the Linux distribution.

Common Availability Problems

The shell says that info is not found

This usually means the Info reader package is not installed or is unavailable in the current environment. A minimal Linux installation may omit optional documentation tools. Install the distribution package that supplies the Info reader when appropriate, or use man pages and built-in help that are already available.

A requested topic cannot be found

The program may have no Info manual, its documentation may not be installed, or its manual may use a different topic name. Browse the Info directory, try the man page, inspect --help output, and check the package's documentation.

The manual is shorter than expected

Documentation quality and length differ by project, package version, and distribution packaging choices. Info is not guaranteed to be more complete than a man page. Treat Info, man pages, built-in help, and project documentation as complementary sources.

Navigation keys do not work

You may be typing while a prompt is active, or your system may use a different Info implementation. Cancel or complete the current prompt, then open the built-in help screen with h or ? and verify the displayed bindings.

Key Points

info is a terminal reader; an Info page is the structured documentation it displays.
Info manuals are often generated from Texinfo source and are especially common for GNU software.
Run info to open the installed Info directory and info mkdir to request the mkdir manual.
Learn the basic node controls: n for next, p for previous, u for parent, d for the directory, Enter to follow a link, and q to quit.
Use s to search, then repeat the search using the binding supported by your Info implementation.
Not every command has Info documentation, and minimal installations may omit the reader or optional documentation packages.
Use man pages, --help, and package documentation when Info is unavailable or insufficient.