SIZE(1)

📦
version 2.47+3build2 · 7 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ SIZE(1) ✨

okay so bestie, we're talking about GNU size, one of the GNU Development Tools, and it's literally the girl who tells you how big everything is 💖

🎀 NAME 🎀

size — list section sizes and total size of binary files. that's it, that's the job, and she eats every time 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

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

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so the GNU size utility lists the section sizes and the total size for every single binary file objfile you pass it on the argument list. no cap.

by default you get one line of output for each file — or for each module if the file happens to be an archive. one file, one line, iconic behaviour honestly ✨

objfile... are the files getting examined. and if you specify none at all? she just goes ahead and uses the file "a.out" instead. default queen energy 👑

💅 OPTIONS 💅

the command-line options have the following meanings, and yes we're going through every single one, no skipping, periodt:

  • -A, -B, -G, --format=compatibility — using one of these, you get to choose 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) — that one is similar to Berkeley's output format, but the sizes are counted differently. iykyk.

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

Berkeley style 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 is mathing 🧮

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. the little "hi bestie here's what i take" moment 🫶
  • -d, -o, -x, --radix=number — using one of these, you 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 — don't try anything else, she won't. 💀

also, 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. two-for-one deal, we love a bargain ✨

  • --common — print the total size of common symbols in each file. when using Berkeley or GNU format these are included in the bss size. lowkey important detail, ngl.
  • -t, --totals — show totals of all objects listed (Berkeley or GNU format mode only). sysv girlies, this one's not for you 😭
  • --target=bfdname — specify that the object-code format for objfile is bfdname. this option may not be necessary, because size can automatically recognize many formats. she's smart like that, main character energy 👑
  • -v, -V, --version — display the version number of size. know your girl's era 🎀
  • -f — ignored. this option is used by other versions of the size program, but it is not supported by the GNU Binutils version. literally just... there. do not perceive it 🙈
  • @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. okay so:

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.

and plot twist — the file may itself contain additional @file options; any such options will be processed RECURSIVELY. it's giving inception, it's giving nesting dolls, we're obsessed 🌀

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

go read these next besties:

the whole friendship group, honestly 🌈

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 whole page, babes 🫶 this was pulled from binutils-2.47, dated 2026-09-19, and it lives at page SIZE(1) in the manual — that's the footer info, now go check your section sizes, you've got this 💖✨🦋

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