cal Command
Beginner System Information man(1)Display a calendar in the terminal
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📅 Updated: Mar 15, 2026
SYNTAX
cal [OPTION]... [MONTH] [YEAR]
What Does cal Do?
cal displays a calendar in the terminal. Without arguments, it shows the current month. It can display specific months, entire years, and supports various calendar systems.
cal is a quick reference tool for checking dates, day-of-week, and planning. It highlights today date in the current month display.
cal is simple but useful — it is faster than opening a GUI calendar application, works over SSH, and is available on virtually all Unix/Linux systems.
cal is a quick reference tool for checking dates, day-of-week, and planning. It highlights today date in the current month display.
cal is simple but useful — it is faster than opening a GUI calendar application, works over SSH, and is available on virtually all Unix/Linux systems.
Options & Flags
| Option | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (no args) | Show current month | cal |
| YEAR | Show entire year | cal 2024 |
| MONTH YEAR | Show specific month | cal 3 2024 |
| -3 | Show previous, current, and next month | cal -3 |
| -y | Show current year | cal -y |
| -j | Show Julian days (day of year) | cal -j |
Practical Examples
#1 Current month
Shows the current month with today highlighted.
$ cal
Output:
January 2024\nSu Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa\n 1 2 3 4 5 6\n 7 8 9 10 11 12 13\n14 15 16 17 18 19 20
#2 Three months
Shows previous, current, and next month side by side.
$ cal -3#3 Full year
Shows all 12 months of 2024.
$ cal 2024#4 Specific month
Shows December 2024.
$ cal 12 2024#5 Julian days
Shows day-of-year numbers instead of day-of-month.
$ cal -j#6 Check a date
Shows July 1969 — the month of the moon landing.
$ cal 7 1969Tips & Best Practices
Quick date lookup: Need to know what day of the week a date falls on? cal MONTH YEAR shows it instantly.
ncal alternative: ncal shows weeks in columns (Monday-Sunday) instead of rows, which some people find more readable.
Gregorian calendar: cal shows the Gregorian calendar. Historical dates before 1582 may show differently depending on your locale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I see the calendar for a specific month?
cal MONTH YEAR. For example: cal 6 2024 shows June 2024.
How do I see a full year calendar?
cal YEAR shows all 12 months. cal -y shows the current year.
How do I see three months at once?
cal -3 shows the previous, current, and next month side by side.
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