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Asked: 2024-09-27T03:46:32+05:30 In:

I’m experiencing an issue with the man command on my Ubuntu 18.04 system where it doesn’t seem to function properly. What steps can I take to resolve this problem and get the manual pages working again?

I’ve run into a bit of a snag with my Ubuntu 18.04 system, and I’m hoping someone out there can help me troubleshoot this. So, here’s the deal: when I try to use the `man` command to read the manual pages, it just doesn’t seem to work right. I get this funky output instead of the usual manual content, and it’s really throwing a wrench in my workflow.

I mean, I rely on the `man` pages all the time, whether it’s brushing up on commands or figuring out the syntax for something. It’s just one of those fundamental tools that keeps me productive. But now every time I run `man [command]`, I’m either met with a blank screen or some error message that I can’t quite decipher. It’s frustrating because I need to look up certain commands for a project I’m working on, and instead, I’m stuck trying to figure out what has gone wrong.

I’ve already tried a couple of common fixes like checking if the `man-db` package is installed (it is, by the way!) and even tried running `sudo mandb` to rebuild the manual page index. No luck, though. I also checked if there were any updates pending for my system – it’s all up-to-date as far as I can tell. I even attempted to clear out some temporary files in case something went awry.

Could it be something with the configuration files? I didn’t change anything, but who knows? I’m not the most experienced user, so if there are some hidden settings or peculiar permissions issues, I might not have caught it.

If anyone’s encountered a similar problem or knows some steps I should take to get my `man` pages back to normal, I’d really appreciate your insights. Maybe some terminal commands or config file tweaks? I’m all ears!

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    2 Answers



    1. Ubuntu 18.04 Man Command Issue

      Troubleshooting the `man` Command in Ubuntu 18.04

      It sounds like you’re having a frustrating time with the `man` command! Here are some steps you can try to get things back on track:

      1. Check Terminal Type

      Sometimes the terminal type can cause issues with how content is displayed. Run this command:

      echo $TERM

      If it doesn’t say xterm or screen, try setting it:

      export TERM=xterm

      2. Try Different Pager

      The `man` command uses a pager to display the manual pages. You can try using a different pager like `less`:

      MANPAGER="less -R" man [command]

      3. Check Configuration Files

      Verify if there are any custom settings in your /etc/manpath.config or ~/.bashrc. You can temporarily move these files to see if they are causing issues:

      mv ~/.bashrc ~/.bashrc.bak

      4. Permissions Issue

      Check the permissions for the man directories:

      ls -ld /usr/share/man

      Make sure your user has the appropriate read permissions. If not, you might need to fix the permissions.

      5. Reinstall Man Pages

      If nothing else works, you could try reinstalling the man pages:

      sudo apt-get install --reinstall man-db

      6. System Logs

      Check the system logs for any related error messages:

      dmesg | grep man

      If you’re still stuck, feel free to share any error messages you’re seeing! Good luck!




    2. Ubuntu 18.04 Man Command Troubleshooting

      It sounds like you’re experiencing a common issue with the `man` command in Ubuntu 18.04. First, check if the default pager used by `man` is functioning properly. By default, `man` uses `less` as its pager, and if it’s not installed or misconfigured, it can lead to the blank screens or odd outputs you’re encountering. One way to verify this is to run `echo $PAGER` in the terminal. If it returns nothing, or if the result isn’t `less`, you can set it by executing `export PAGER=less`. Furthermore, make sure `less` is indeed installed using `sudo apt install less` if necessary. Additionally, verify that your terminal supports ANSI color and escape sequences, as this can sometimes affect `man` output.

      If the pager settings do not resolve the issue, the problem could be related to locale settings. Run `locale` in your terminal to check for any missing or improperly configured locale variables. If you find any variables are set to “POSIX” or “C”, you can reconfigure your locales by using `sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales`. Select your preferred locale settings and regenerate them. Lastly, investigate the permissions of the `/usr/share/man` directories. Ensure that your user has the necessary read permissions on these directories and their contents. If you still face issues after these steps, consider checking your shell configuration files (like `.bashrc` or `.bash_profile`) for any unusual modifications that could affect the behavior of commands.


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