SIZE(1)

📦
version 2.47 · 6 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, and let's talk about size(1) 💖 this one is from the GNU Development Tools lineup and it is, lowkey, a whole personality. she looks at your binaries and just... tells you how big everything is. no cap. iconic behavior.

🎀 NAME 🎀

size — list section sizes and total size of binary files ✨

like that's her entire job and she eats every single time 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

size [-A|-B|-G|--format=compatibility]
     [--help]
     [-d|-o|-x|--radix=number]
     [--common]
     [-t|--totals]
     [--target=bfdname] [-V|--version]
     [-f]
     [objfile...]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the GNU size utility lists the section sizes and the total size for each of the binary files objfile on its argument list. by default, you get one line of output for each file — or for each module, if the file is an archive. adorable. efficient. we stan. 🫶

objfile... are the files to be examined. and if you're out here specifying literally nothing? then the file a.out gets used instead. classic default behavior, she's not gonna make you ask twice 💜

🍓 OPTIONS 🍓

the command-line options have the following meanings, bestie, and yes we're going through all of them:

  • -A, -B, -G, --format=compatibility — using one of these, you get to pick whether the output from GNU size resembles output from System V size (that's -A, or --format=sysv) or Berkeley size (that's -B, or --format=berkeley). the default is the one-line format similar to Berkeley's. alternatively, you can pick the GNU format output (-G, or --format=gnu) — this is similar to Berkeley's output format, but the sizes are counted differently. 👑

here's an example of the Berkeley (default) format of output from size:

$ size --format=Berkeley ranlib size
   text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
 294880   81920   11592  388392   5ed28 ranlib
 294880   81920   11888  388688   5ee50 size

the Berkeley style output counts read only data in the "text" column, not in the "data" column, and the "dec" and "hex" columns both display the sum of the "text", "data", and "bss" columns — in decimal and hexadecimal respectively. math girlies rise 🌸

the GNU format counts read only data in the "data" column, not the "text" column, and only displays the sum of the "text", "data", and "bss" columns once, in the "total" column. the --radix option can be used to change the number base for all columns. here's the same data displayed with GNU conventions:

$ size --format=GNU ranlib size
      text       data        bss      total filename
    279880      96920      11592     388392 ranlib
    279880      96920      11888     388688 size

and this is the same data, but displayed closer to System V conventions:

$ size --format=SysV ranlib size
ranlib  :
section         size         addr
.text         294880         8192
.data          81920       303104
.bss           11592       385024
Total         388392

size  :
section         size         addr
.text         294880         8192
.data          81920       303104
.bss           11888       385024
Total         388688
  • --help, -h, -H, -? — show a summary of acceptable arguments and options. that's your "bestie what do i even type" button, and honestly? no shame, we all press it 🙈
  • -d, -o, -x, --radix=number — using one of these, you can control whether the size of each section is given in decimal (-d, or --radix=10), octal (-o, or --radix=8), or hexadecimal (-x, or --radix=16). in --radix=number, only the three values (8, 10, 16) are supported — so don't get creative, babe, the vibe check will fail 💀 the total size is always given in two radices: decimal and hexadecimal for -d or -x output, or octal and hexadecimal if you're using -o.
  • --common — print total size of common symbols in each file. when using Berkeley or GNU format these are included in the bss size. so basically she's already counting them and this just makes it loud 📣
  • -t, --totals — show totals of all objects listed (Berkeley or GNU format mode only). note the parenthetical, bestie — she said only those two formats. periodt.
  • --target=bfdname — specify that the object-code format for objfile is bfdname. this option may not even be necessary; size can automatically recognize many formats, because she's smart like that ⭐
  • -v, -V, --version — display the version number of size. flex the version, you earned it 💅
  • -f — ignored. this option is used by other versions of the size program, but it is not supported by the GNU Binutils version. she's literally just gonna look at you and move on. not me being ignored by a whole utility 😭
  • *@file* — read command-line options from file. the options read are inserted in place of the original @file option. if file does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will be treated literally, and not removed.

options in file are separated by whitespace. a whitespace character may be included in an option by surrounding the entire option in either single or double quotes. any character (including a backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be included with a backslash. the file may itself contain additional @file options; any such options will be processed recursively. it's giving nested besties, it's giving infinite regress, we love a self-referential queen 🧚

pro tip from your girl: that @file recursion is real, so if you point a file at itself...... yeah. don't do that. 🫶

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

ar(1), objdump(1), readelf(1), and the Info entries for binutils.

the whole friend group fr fr. if size is the main character, these are her ride-or-dies 💜

Copyright (c) 1991-2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

and that's the page, bestie 🎀 this whole thing comes to you from binutils-2.47, dated 2026-09-12, and yeah — the footer that lives at the very bottom of the real page is just SIZE(1) again, but you already knew her name. bye, ily, go measure something 💖✨🦋

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