Linux find a file anywhere One way to do Dec 14, 2024 · The Linux find command is a powerful tool for searching and locating files and directories on a Linux system. It covers searching by name, type, size, time, permissions, actions, advanced usage, and command combos. It is useful when you have forgotten where initially file was stored. txt" Feb 8, 2023 · Explains how to search files in bash under UNIX / Linux / BSD and Apple OS X operating systems using command prompt. txt" returns the path to file. It offers practical examples for both simple searches and complex file management tasks, enhancing users' command line skills and system management capabilities. Options to help enhance your terminal skills. 12 Im trying to make some backup script as the log files get bigger and bigger. Jan 29, 2025 · Learn how to search in Linux using the powerful find command. Use it to boost your productivity in file management and automation. For example, to look for files whose name matches the pattern *filename* in the current directory and its subdirectories and print their names: find /some/dir -name '*filename*' -print I have been searching for a command that will return files from the current directory which contain a string in the filename. Nov 14, 2025 · In the Linux operating system, the `find` command is a powerful utility that allows users to search for files and directories within a specified directory hierarchy. locate: Fast but relies on a database (use for quick searches of existing files). Dec 3, 2023 · Learn how to use the 'find' command in Linux to recursively search for files in current and subfolders using wildcards. Thankfully Linux provides some helpful command line utilities to search directories recursively and return files that match your criteria. I‘ve personally leveraged find to locate critical files across Linux servers for the past 15 years. Nov 14, 2025 · In the vast ecosystem of Linux commands, the `find` command stands out as a powerful and versatile tool for searching files and directories. Whether you're looking for a particular configuration parameter, a piece of code, or a specific string in a large set of documents, Linux provides powerful tools to perform these searches quickly and efficiently. 4 How do I recursively generate a text file which has a list of all files on my server which contain a specific string anywhere in the files? I know the following command can be used to replace a string recursively find /var/www -type f -print0 | xargs -0 sed -i 's/old string/new string/g' 5 days ago · Explore this Linux Commands Cheat Sheet, covering each command from basic to advanced, including file management, permissions, security, networking, etc. profile, type the following: find / -name . Mar 9, 2025 · Linux Find File By Name Recursive In the world of Linux, file management is a crucial aspect, and the ability to locate files efficiently is an essential skill for any user or system administrator. With its comprehensive features and intuitive interface, GoAnywhere MFT will reduce operational costs, improve the quality of data transmissions and meet stringent compliance Apr 9, 2025 · Learn how to find files containing specific text in Linux systems using grep, find, ack, and ag with these easy step-by-step instructions. In this tutorial, you'll learn to use xargs command with some practical and useful examples. txt (or multiple paths if files with same name exist at different locations). php -type f If you want to search for files having names say findex. Using Ubuntu Linux: Find every file in anywhere in your current working directory that were modified after midnight of the current day. Let the name of the folder be Jul 13, 2023 · Wildcards are special characters that represent other characters and can be used with ls or rm command to list or remove files matching a given criteria. For example if you want to find files named index. Explore the comprehensive guide to using the `find` command in Linux, perfect for any user level. This cheat sheet serves as a reference so you (and I) can quickly find the correct command to get what we search. -type f | gr Jul 12, 2025 · In Linux, there is a way to execute python files from anywhere. Here are some examples of how to use the find command in Linux. Dec 29, 2023 · Searching for a specific file or files that match a pattern is a common task on Linux. Any distro, any platform! Explicitly noob-friendly. Jan 24, 2025 · Need to quickly find files in Linux? Whether you’re looking for that config file you edited last week or trying to track down large files eating up disk space, Linux offers powerful search tools to help. 2 and all this i like to count them, and if the number is bigger then 2 to archive Linux find Cheatsheet This cheatsheet provides a comprehensive and practical reference for the Linux find command. This article will guide you through various methods to locate files in the Linux environment. txt" in the home directory, you would use: This command will locate and display the path to the file if it exists in the specified directory or its subdirectories. Boost your command-line skills - read the guide and start searching smarter! Mar 6, 2023 · If you're just learning about the find command for the first time, I covered the basics of file searching and explored some powerful commands to search files quickly using Linux in my previous tutorial. May 14, 2008 · How do I find a file under UNIX operating systems using bash or ksh shell? You need to use find command which is used to search files and directories under Linux and Unix like operating systems. Automate and encrypt file transfers with SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, and AS2. One of the key skills for any Linux user is knowing how to find files quickly and efficiently. Practice with these commands, and soon you’ll navigate the terminal like a pro. -type f | gr Jul 13, 2023 · Wildcards are special characters that represent other characters and can be used with ls or rm command to list or remove files matching a given criteria. Wildcards are special characters that can be used to represent one or more characters in a file or directory name. Most of this section will revolve around the find command. Apr 3, 2024 · In this tutorial, you will learn how to find a folder in Linux based operating system using find and locate command line options. What i have is coping the current file, (for example secure file in /var/log/) and remove the content from that file. php, index. sql starting from your home folder: find ~/ -name database. Again, that may be much faster. I have seen locate and find commands that can find files beginning with I have a VPS with Suse Linux 10. php you need to use: find . Jun 30, 2016 · I'm looking for a way to list all files in a directory that contain the full set of keywords I'm seeking, anywhere in the file. Whether you're searching based on file names, extensions, sizes, or timestamps, the command provides flexibility and control over your file system. dir1 and dir2 may have different structure, so diff -r doesn't work well. Mar 18, 2009 · On a Linux OS, each morning a database is constructed that contains a list of all directory and files, and the locate command efficiently searches this database, so if you want to do a search for files that weren't created today, this would be the fastest way to accomplish such a task. Feb 2, 2024 · In Linux, we have directories having subdirectories and files, so when we want to find a file, it is better to use the recursive method. Nov 10, 2021 · Finding files is a very common task on any operating system. This article is a comprehensive guide on using the `find` command in Linux, detailing how to efficiently locate files in the filesystem based on attributes like name, size, and type. Apr 10, 2020 · Find modified files in Linux The last example shows how to find a file modified in the last 50 days. The two commands are the find command and the locate command. Jul 30, 2018 · Explains the Linux command to find a file on my system. The basic syntax for finding a file by name is: find <directory> -name <filename> For example, to find a file called database. Use the -iname option to ignore case sensitivity when using find. Whether you are a system administrator looking for specific configuration files, a developer trying to locate source code files, or just a Linux enthusiast exploring your system, the `find` command can save you a great deal of time and effort. Jun 24, 2024 · Introduction Linux, a powerful and versatile operating system, is widely used for its efficiency and flexibility in file management. Aug 27, 2024 · The humble Linux find command dates back to the earliest days of Unix, premiering in Version 7 UNIX in 1979. Conclusion Customizing your bash prompt is a fun way to personalize your Linux terminal experience while learning valuable skills. I am trying to find a simple and elegant way (preferably using bash utilities) to test if a php. Sep 22, 2025 · In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to find a file in Linux by using the command line and GUI. In the over 40 years since, it has preserved the same versatile, powerful file search capabilities that administrators rely on daily. In this The traditional command to look for a file in a directory tree is find. cd ~ Create a folder and a python script inside that folder. By default, the find command is available on all distributions and it has the following syntax $ find <options> <path> <expression> Quick tip : do you have some trouble remembering if path or expression comes first? Remember that for the grEP is E xpression P ath, and find is the opposite, so P ath E xpression Mar 6, 2023 · If you're just learning about the find command for the first time, I covered the basics of file searching and explored some powerful commands to search files quickly using Linux in my previous tutorial. This can be done by typing several commands in the terminal. # find / -type f -ctime +50 -exec rm -f {} \; The command above shows: Introduction GoAnywhere MFT is a Managed File Transfer solution which provides centralized control and auditing of file transfers and workflows for the enterprise. This blog will delve into the fundamental concepts, usage methods, common practices, and Dec 15, 2024 · One of the most effective tools for locating files and directories according to a number of criteria is the Linux find command. This guide covers everything from basic commands to advanced techniques for finding files efficiently. We use the tree command in Linux to find a file recursively. On a Linux server, I need to find all files with a certain file extension in the current directory and all sub-directories. Suitable for routine management, troubleshooting, or enhancing Oct 1, 2025 · Master the Linux find command to locate files and directories by name, type, date, size, and permissions. Introduction This comprehensive tutorial explores the Linux find command, providing developers and system administrators with essential techniques for efficient file searching and management across complex directory structures. The difference between the two commands is that find performs a search in real-time and locate uses an indexed database for the search. GIF file_linux. It is widely used for locating files, performing batch operations, and automating tasks. php on the current directory and all the sub directories under it, you can use: find . This comprehensive guide will teach you multiple methods to find files and directories anywhere in your Linux system. -name index. This blog will delve Oct 26, 2023 · About Linux file search In this article, I briefly describe two commands in detail with practical examples to search for files with the terminal. The following are examples of how to use the find command: To list all files in the file system with the name . Aug 17, 2016 · How can I recursively find all files in current and subfolders based on wildcard matching? Mar 28, 2025 · Wondering how to look for directories and files in Linux? Learn about the Find command in Linux and what it can do with many examples. But there are some files with the name like: secure. T… Oct 9, 2025 · The Linux find command is a powerful tool that enables system administrators to locate and manage files and directories based on a wide range of search criteria. search for files by name, size, or date. The find command is a powerful tool that allows users to search for files based on various criteria, and when combined with the right options, it can perform recursive searches, traversing through Small installation file Clean and simple user interface Quick filename indexing Quick searching Minimal resource usage Real-time updating More Jul 23, 2025 · The find command in Linux, combined with wildcard matching and advanced options, offers powerful functionality for locating and managing files. In this article, we will explore the basics of using the find command in Linux, including its syntax, options Jan 28, 2024 · The Linux find command is a powerful tool for searching and locating files and directories on your filesystem. The blog post titledLocating Files Quickly with locate in Linux When it comes to managing files on a Linux system, knowing how to quickly find files is crucial for efficiency, especially when dealing with extensive filesystems. profile This searches the entire file system and writes the complete path names of all files named . In this blog post, we’re going to delve into how you can use the locate command to find Jun 12, 2025 · In the Linux operating system, searching for specific text within files is a common and essential task for system administrators, developers, and power users. Nov 14, 2025 · In the Linux operating system, the ability to search for files is a fundamental and powerful feature. 1, secure. It comes with many options to control which files to display and what to do with them. Sep 9, 2021 · You can locate a file by its filename by providing the full file name or parts of the file name using regular expressions. While several tools can help with this task, one standout utility is locate. In this tutorial, you'll learn how locate command works and how to use it. I have these files in a directory for testing purposes: file_BSD. gif file_unix See my ls command, $ ls *{. But with so many directories and subdirectories across a system, locating that one file you need can be daunting. With multiple directories and subdirectories, finding a file or folder can sometimes be challenging. By mastering recursive search strategies and advanced filtering options, users can quickly locate files based on multiple criteria. Using the find Command The find command is a powerful utility in Linux that allows you to search for files and directories based on various criteria. Jan 21, 2023 · On a Linux system, the need to find a string in a file can arise quite often. Fast, accurate search techniques . Your solution should recursively descend all subdirectories reachable from your current working directory and list any filename associated with a file that satisfies the search criterion. Oct 23, 2023 · Finding Files by Name or Pattern The find command is the workhorse of recursive searching on Linux. Jul 9, 2014 · For linux noobs like me that don't understand standard folder structures and aren't interested in typing three hundred cd commands to find the file, and aren't interested in searching through hundreds of permission denied lines, this is the perfect answer. Sep 10, 2019 · The first way to find and locate files on a Linux host is to use the find command. Feb 12, 2020 · The Linux find command is the most common command used to find files using the Linux command line. The Linux SFTP server from GoAnywhere MFT offers secure FTP alternatives. Basic usages of the find command This is the pattern of the find command: Nov 14, 2025 · In the vast landscape of Linux command-line tools, the `find` command stands out as a powerful utility for searching through directories and files. This can be helpful when you need to locate recently modified files due to a security reason or if there are unwanted users on the network accessing other files. Feb 24, 2025 · This wikiHow article will teach you how to use the find command in Linux to find any file, from files you downloaded to configuration files. -name '*index The traditional command to look for a file in a directory tree is find. ini files anywhere in their own branches of the file system--not just in their home directories. A step-by-step guide for beginners and IT professionals. Since I'm uploading via FTP in a directory called httpdocs, I assume that this If you know the file name, you can search it using "whereis" terminal command. Sep 8, 2015 · The syntax of find is not like what you have written, please read the manual page man find to get detailed idea. phpfoo, index. Since I'm uploading via FTP in a directory called httpdocs, I assume that this Apr 5, 2018 · Use these simple Linux utilities to quickly find files based on type, content, and more. By default, the find command is available on all distributions and it has the following syntax $ find <options> <path> <expression> Quick tip : do you have some trouble remembering if path or expression comes first? Remember that for the grEP is E xpression P ath, and find is the opposite, so P ath E xpression How to find files and folders in Linux In Linux, managing files and directories often involves locating specific items within the filesystem. gif} Mar 30, 2024 · The locate command allows you to preform a super quick search for files. It allows users to specify complex search criteria to find files based on various attributes. css —regardless of case sensitivity. Feb 24, 2025 · The easiest way to locate files by name, partial name, or date at the command line If you're looking for a file on your Linux system, the find command makes it easy. ini file exists anywhere within a single user's branch of the file system. This Dec 29, 2023 · Searching for a specific file or files that match a pattern is a common task on Linux. 15 hours ago · Conclusion You now know two powerful tools to find index. The Basics: Understanding the Command Line Before diving into specific Discover how to effectively utilize wildcards with the powerful find command in Linux. If you don't know the full filename, capitalization and location indeed you should use something like this: Aug 29, 2025 · Whether you’re a system administrator managing servers or a developer organizing project files, knowing how to efficiently locate files can save you countless hours. Dec 30, 2024 · The find command is a powerful tool in Linux that allows you to search and locate files, directories, and other files on your system. Nov 19, 2020 · The find command searches for files and directories based on a user given expression. This can be very useful when you need to find a specific file and don’t know where it is located. Mar 5, 2025 · whereis command helps users locate the binary, source, and manual page files for a given command. However, it is difficult to find files in the Linux/Ubuntu Command Line as compared to other popular operating systems like Windows and macOS that enable search by “File Feb 9, 2023 · Have you ever felt frustrated searching for files manually on your computer? If you’re a developer or DevOps engineer working on GUI-less Linux servers, it'll be hard navigating back and forth to find files. Learn basic commands, delve into advanced usage, and integrate `find` with other commands for powerful operations. So, the keywords need not to appear on the same line. I am trying to list all the files from dir1, dir2, dir3 and dir4 which might be anywhere in as a subdirectory of my current working directory using the find command. Basic usages of the find command This is the pattern of the find command: Nov 3, 2019 · Linux file navigation may seem daunting at first, but it’s quite easy once you know the right commands to use. One common use case is searching for files by name, especially when you need to locate specific file types like . One of the most useful features of the `find` command is its support for wildcards. Let’s get started. In this tutorial you will learn: Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. Let‘s get started! A Quick Intro to the Linux Filesystem Before diving into the find command, let‘s briefly go over how Linux organizes files on Jul 7, 2014 · These users could have php. From tracking down misplaced documents to preparing Dec 17, 2023 · Overview The find command is one of the most useful commands in Linux (for me). To search for a file named example. js, and . php, . So go ahead and experiment – and don’t forget to share your custom creations with the community! Mar 30, 2024 · xargs is one of the most powerful commands in Linux. This is extremely useful when you have a large number of files and directories organized in a hierarchical structure and need to locate a specific file or a Aug 27, 2024 · The humble Linux find command dates back to the earliest days of Unix, premiering in Version 7 UNIX in 1979. Linux introductions, tips and tutorials. The `find` command stands as a powerful and versatile tool for precisely this purpose. txt in all directories starting from the root (/) directory, you can use the following command: find / -type f -name "example. This command will search through the directories for files that have the specific word in their name. Whether you need to locate files by name, size, permissions, or other attributes, this guide has you covered. This article will walk you through how to locate files on Linux using the find and locate commands. The slash (/) tells the find command to search the / (root) directory and all of its subdirectories. The find command requires the path to the directory you want to search in, options to specify what attribute you're searching (for instance, - name for a case-sensitive file name), and then the search string. 4 How do I recursively generate a text file which has a list of all files on my server which contain a specific string anywhere in the files? I know the following command can be used to replace a string recursively find /var/www -type f -print0 | xargs -0 sed -i 's/old string/new string/g'. The find command in Linux is a powerful tool for searching files and directories based on various criteria, such as name, type, size, and modification time. Feb 19, 2020 · There are a few ways to find and locate files from the terminal in Linux. To save time, limit the search Mar 18, 2021 · Need to find a file in Linux? The Find command covers every eventuality for searching for files in the command line. find, locate, which and whereis are some of the commonly used commands to do so. The Linux “find” and “locate” commands can both be used to search for files on the filesystem. You can use find to search for files by name, partial name, date, Oct 6, 2021 · This guide will show you how to use "find" and "locate" commands to find files and directories on your Linux file systems. Aug 4, 2025 · Learn how to find a file in Linux using commands like find, locate, and grep. Show all the Bash shell commands you would employ and explain what each Oct 9, 2025 · The best way to find files by name in Linux is using the find command with the “-name” option. Nov 3, 2019 · Linux file navigation may seem daunting at first, but it’s quite easy once you know the right commands to use. sql This searches through ~/ and every May 19, 2017 · Linux find and locate commands are versatile at finding any file on your system. Jan 3, 2017 · Learn 7 effective methods to find files and directories on Linux using built-in commands and tools. profile. Jan 28, 2024 · The Linux find command is a powerful tool for searching and locating files and directories on your filesystem. In this blog post, we'll explore the fundamental concepts, usage methods, common practices, and Nov 28, 2018 · This post will guide you how to find files in a directory and its subdirectories under command line interface on Linux. May 1, 2017 · It's possible that the file you're looking for is actually in your $HOME directory if you worked on that or downloaded it from somewhere. Prerequisite: Basic Shell Commands in Linux Basics of python Steps: At first, open the terminal and go to the home directory. Explore concise examples and tips for efficient searching. Jul 22, 2023 · Here are various ways you can use the find command to look for directories with specific parameters in Linux. Whether you're a system administrator looking for specific configuration files or a developer trying to locate source code files, `find` can be your go-to solution. In your case you probably don't know the exact file name but in cases when you do, "whereis file. html (or any file) in Linux: find: Slow but real-time and flexible (use for new files or precise searches). Many people are unaware of the power of Li In this comprehensive 2500+ word guide, I will explain how to fully utilize the versatile "find" command with numerous examples and tips. Dec 27, 2023 · In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to find a file in Linux with the find and locate commands. I'm trying to figure out the wild-cards to do file operations. EDIT: I noticed that you edited your question. Discover advanced tips to locate files by name, type, size, and permissions with ease. Dec 22, 2024 · When working in Linux, the find command is an incredibly powerful tool for locating files and directories. Nov 21, 2024 · This tutorial explains how to find a directory on Linux based server or desktop using the find command line option. It is a versatile command that can be used for various purposes, such as finding specific files, deleting unwanted files, and even backing up your data. On the command line, the grep command has this function covered very well, but you’ll need to know the basics of how to use it. You can use asterisks as wildcards if you don't know the exact name of the file. sql This searches through ~/ and every Nov 14, 2025 · In the vast landscape of Linux systems, the ability to locate files quickly and efficiently is crucial. Learn how to find or search files in Linux by name, extension, type, size, or modified date with this code snippet. It allows to find files anywhere on the filesystem and it provides many options to define criteria for your search. Questions are encouraged. GIF,. Nov 21, 2024 · Master the Linux find command to efficiently find a file in Linux. Explore practical applications and master file and directory searches with ease. Recursive file searching, in particular, allows users to search not only in a specified directory but also in all its sub-directories. The find and locate commands are two of the most widely used tools for this task. This guide will show the best ways on how to utilize them. To go the home directory type the following command. Sep 26, 2024 · What if you can find any file, anywhere on your system, with just a few keystrokes? With the find command, this is possible. It allows users to search for files and directories across the entire file system or within specific directories based on various criteria such as name, size, modification time, and permissions. I've logged in via SSH/putty and am trying to find where my web files are located. Previously, I have always used the following command: find . It can find directories and files by their name, their type, or extension, size, permissions, etc. Nov 4, 2025 · To find a file named "example. Master essential Linux file search techniques, explore file system structure, and learn powerful commands for efficient file discovery and management across system directories. By mastering prompt crafting, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how the shell works and be able to tailor it to your unique workflow. Aug 22, 2025 · Learn how to find file by name in Linux with 7 simple examples. Apr 5, 2021 · Need to know how to find a file in Linux? Well, surprise, surprise, you’re going to need the find command to scour your directory or file system. Whether you're looking for a specific configuration file, a log file, or a script, Linux provides powerful tools to help you locate files based on various criteria. Nov 6, 2010 · I think it would be fine to create a personal ~/bin/ folder, add THAT to your path, and create symlinks in that folder to anything you wanted to be executable from anywhere. Learning how to use this tool can save a lot of time and effort, whether you're a system administrator resolving file system problems or a casual Linux user attempting to search for lost files. Learn how to use the powerful find command in Linux to search for files and directories based on name, size, permissions, and many other criteria. Mar 31, 2020 · I need to find all the files, that exist anywhere in dir1, but don't exist anywhere in dir2. This article teaches how to locate files and directories based on attributes such as name, size, or modification date. It can dig down through potentially millions of files in seconds. This means that the locate command is usually faster Oct 31, 2023 · Linux/Ubunu’s Terminal is very powerful and it enables all operations via the command line, for example, fast and efficient file management, which saves a lot of time as compared to performing file management via GUI. Send Anywhere lets you transfer any file type, across any platform, all for free. Learn how to use it in this tutorial. The Linux find command can filter objects recursively using a simple conditional mechanism, and if you use the -exec flag, you’ll also be able to find a file in Linux straightaway, then process it without needing to use another command. One of the features that make find particularly powerful is its ability to use wildcards, which allows you to create versatile search patterns. 3. Dec 11, 2023 · This understanding of the Linux file system and how the ‘find’ command interacts with it is crucial for using the ‘find’ command effectively and troubleshooting any issues that may arise. By using wildcards with the Nov 14, 2025 · In the vast landscape of Linux systems, the ability to find files efficiently is a crucial skill for both novice and experienced users.