How to find files using command-line in the Linux Terminal

Basic Examples

1. find . - name thisfile.txt. If you need to know how to find a file in Linux called thisfile. ...
2. find /home -name *.jpg. Look for all . jpg files in the /home and directories below it.
3. find . - type f -empty. Look for an empty file inside the current directory.
4. find /home -user randomperson-mtime 6 -iname ".db"

1. How do I find the location of a file in Linux?
2. How do I find a folder in Linux terminal?
3. Which command is used to find the file?
4. How do I view files in Linux?
5. How do I find the path to a file?
6. How do I find a file without knowing the path in Unix?
7. How do I show all directories in Linux?
8. How do I list all directories in Linux?
9. How do I find a folder in Terminal?
10. What is the fastest way to find a file in Linux?
11. How do I search for a file?
12. How do I use grep to find a file?

How do I find the location of a file in Linux?

On Linux: You can use the command realpath yourfile to get the full path of a file as suggested by others.

How do I find a folder in Linux terminal?

Command to find a folder in Linux

1. find command – Search for files and folder in a directory hierarchy.
2. locate command – Find files and folders by name using prebuilt database/index.

Which command is used to find the file?

The find command in UNIX is a command line utility for walking a file hierarchy. It can be used to find files and directories and perform subsequent operations on them. It supports searching by file, folder, name, creation date, modification date, owner and permissions.

How do I view files in Linux?

Following are some useful ways to open a file from the terminal:

1. Open the file using cat command.
2. Open the file using less command.
3. Open the file using more command.
4. Open the file using nl command.
5. Open the file using gnome-open command.
6. Open the file using head command.
7. Open the file using tail command.

How do I find the path to a file?

To view the full path of an individual file: Click the Start button and then click Computer, click to open the location of the desired file, hold down the Shift key and right-click the file. Copy As Path: Click this option to paste the full file path into a document.

How do I find a file without knowing the path in Unix?

You need to use the find command on a Linux or Unix-like system to search through directories for files.
...
Syntax

1. -name file-name – Search for given file-name. ...
2. -iname file-name – Like -name, but the match is case insensitive. ...
3. -user userName – The file's owner is userName.

How do I show all directories in Linux?

The ls command is used to list files or directories in Linux and other Unix-based operating systems. Just like you navigate in your File explorer or Finder with a GUI, the ls command allows you to list all files or directories in the current directory by default, and further interact with them via the command line.

How do I list all directories in Linux?

Linux / UNIX List Just Directories Or Directory Names

1. Display or list all directories in Unix. Type the following command: ...
2. Linux list only directories using ls command. Run the following ls command: ...
3. Linux Display or list only files. ...
4. Task: Create bash shell aliases to save time. ...
5. Use find command to list either files or directories on Linux. ...
6. Putting it all together. ...
7. Conclusion.

How do I find a folder in Terminal?

To see them in the terminal, you use the "ls" command, which is used to list files and directories. So, when I type "ls" and press "Enter" we see the same folders that we do in the Finder window.

What is the fastest way to find a file in Linux?

5 Command Line Tools to Find Files Quickly in Linux

1. Find Command. find command is a powerful, widely used CLI tool for searching and locating files whose names match simple patterns, in a directory hierarchy. ...
2. Locate Command. ...
3. Grep Command. ...
4. Which Command. ...
5. Whereis Command.

How do I search for a file?

In this article

1. Introduction.
2. 1Choose Start→Computer.
3. 2Double-click an item to open it.
4. 3If the file or folder that you want is stored within another folder, double-click the folder or a series of folders until you locate it.
5. 4When you find the file you want, double-click it.

How do I use grep to find a file?

The grep command searches through the file, looking for matches to the pattern specified. To use it type grep , then the pattern we're searching for and finally the name of the file (or files) we're searching in. The output is the three lines in the file that contain the letters 'not'.