paste on Linux merges corresponding lines from files — perfect when one file has IDs and another has labels, or when you need a quick two-column view without a spreadsheet.
Side by side
Default delimiter is TAB between merged columns.
bashtwo files
paste ids.txt names.txt
Custom delimiter
-d sets the column separator — comma for pseudo-CSV.
bashcsv-ish
paste -d, names.txt scores.txtSerial mode
-s joins all lines from one file into one row (then repeats per file).
bashserial
paste -s -d, row.txtWith cut in pipelines
paste output often feeds cut or sort — keep field counts consistent.
TipIf files have different line counts, paste pads with empty fields — always sanity-check line counts with
wc -l.Quick Reference
- Merge:
paste a.txt b.txt - Delimiter:
paste -d, a b - Rows:
paste -s file
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