SIZE(1)

📦 version 2.45.1, in arch rolling

💅 SIZE(1) — GNU Development Tools ✨

okay so real talk, bestie: size is one of those little GNU Development Tools icons that does exactly one thing and does it beautifully, and i'm obsessed. she tells you how big each section of a binary file is, plus the total. that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

size — list section sizes and total size of binary files

✨ 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 one of the binary files objfile on its argument list. every one. she does not skip. 💅

By default, one line of output is generated for each file — or for each module, if the file is an archive. no cap.

objfile... are the files to be examined. and if you specify, like, none of them? the file "a.out" will be used instead. she'll just assume. main character energy fr fr. 🙈

💖 OPTIONS 💖

The command-line options have the following meanings — grab a snack, we're going through all of them:

  • -A, -B, -G, --format=compatibility — Using one of these options, you can choose whether the output from GNU size resembles output from System V size (using -A, or --format=sysv), or Berkeley size (using -B, or --format=berkeley). The default is the one-line format similar to Berkeley's. Alternatively, you can choose the GNU format output (using -G, or --format=gnu) — this is similar to Berkeley's output format, but 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. the "dec" and "hex" columns both display the sum of the "text", "data", and "bss" columns in decimal and hexadecimal respectively. math slay. 🧮

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. four whole ways to ask for help, we love a girl with options 💅
  • -d, -o, -x, --radix=number — Using one of these options, 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 — do not try to be creative, she will not accept it. 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. noted. ✨
  • -t, --totals — Show totals of all objects listed (Berkeley or GNU format mode only). like a little grand finale 🌈
  • --target=bfdname — Specify that the object-code format for objfile is bfdname. This option may not be necessary; size can automatically recognize many formats. she's smart like that. 🧠
  • -v, -V, --version — Display the version number of size.
  • -f — Ignored. This option is used by other versions of the size program, but it is not supported by the GNU Binutils version. literally she's like "no ❤️" 🫶
  • @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 inception, it's giving turtles all the way down 🐢💜

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

ar(1), objdump(1), readelf(1), and the Info entries for binutils. go read them bestie, iykyk 💀

Copyright (c) 1991-2025 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". 📜✨

k bye ily, go check those section sizes — this was size, from the GNU Development Tools, binutils-2.45.1, dated 2026-01-23 💖 stay slay, stay radix-aware 🦋🌸

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