Linux xxd Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to xxd on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including hex dump, binary file editing, and data conversion.

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Table of Contents

1. xxd Installation
2. xxd Basics
3. Hex Dump
4. Reverse Operation
5. Troubleshooting

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xxd Installation

Install xxd

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install vim (includes xxd)
sudo pacman -S vim

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install vim

Fedora:

sudo dnf install vim

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xxd Basics

Hex Dump

Basic usage:

# Hexadecimal dump
xxd file.txt

# Shows file in hex format

Reverse

Convert back:

# Convert hex back to binary
xxd -r hex.txt > output.bin

# -r = reverse (converts hex to binary)

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Hex Dump

Default Format

Hex output:

# Default hex format
xxd file.txt

# Shows:
# - Offset (hex)
# - Hexadecimal bytes (16 per line)
# - ASCII representation

Limit Length

Limit output:

# Limit length
xxd -l 100 file.txt

# -l = length (first 100 bytes)

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Reverse Operation

Hex to Binary

Convert hex:

# Convert hex dump to binary
xxd -r hex.txt > output.bin

# -r = reverse (hex to binary)

Plain Hex

Plain format:

# Plain hex (no ASCII)
xxd -p file.txt

# -p = plain (hex only, no offset)

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Troubleshooting

xxd Not Found

Check installation:

# Check xxd
which xxd

# Install vim if missing
sudo pacman -S vim

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Summary

This guide covered xxd usage, hex dump, and binary file conversion for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• hexdump Guide - Hex dump alternative
• od Guide - Octal dump
• file Guide - File type detection
• xxd Documentation: man xxd

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.