Manually Install a Man Page File – Step-by-Step Guide

command linemanpage

How do I install a man page file system-wide?

For example, if I have a man page file examplecommand.1, how do I install it so that I can just type man examplecommand to view it?

Best Answer

  1. First, find out which section your man page belongs to. If its a command, it probably belongs to section 1. You can read the manpage for the man command Manpage icon to see a description of the different sections and their corresponding numbers.

  2. Copy your man page to /usr/local/share/man/man1/ (change 1 to your section number if need be). You can also install it to /usr/share/man/man1/, but it's best practise to use the local directory for files that are installed without using the APT package manager:

    sudo cp examplecommand.1 /usr/local/share/man/man1/

  3. Run the mandb command. This will update man's internal database:

    sudo mandb

  4. That's it! You should be able to view the man page by running:

    man 1 examplecommand

References:

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