How to search for files in Linux OS from the command line: If you’re having trouble locating files in your Linux distribution. There’s a handy built-in command line tool that can simplify the process.
Despite being a longtime Linux user. I often prefer using GUI tools as they tend to be more efficient than their terminal-based counterparts. However, there’s one task for which I consistently turn to the command line—finding files.
While GUI tools and desktop environments offer file search features. I sometimes find them less effective, and their indexing can lead to system slowdowns. For these reasons, I prefer opening a terminal window to locate the desired file.
How to search for files in Linux OS from the command line. The main drawback of this approach is that, unlike GUI tools, once a file is found, you need to manually open it. A GUI tool simplifies this process by allowing you to click or double-click to open the file. With the command line option, you’re provided with the file’s location and then must open the associated application, accessing the file through the application’s File > Open menu. Despite this manual step, I find the trade-off worthwhile for the speed and accuracy of the command line tool.
Come I will show you how to use the tool.
How to find a file from the CLI(Command-Line Interface)
How to search for files in Linux OS from the command line. To accomplish this task, you’ll only need a running instance of just about any Linux distribution. The find command is my tool of choice for two main reasons: it’s installed by default, and it’s straightforward to use. Let me guide you through the simple process of finding a file in Linux.
The basic use of the find command:
- First Open a terminal window from your desktop menu in computer.
- With the terminal application open, type the syntax for the basic find command:
- find -name FILE
In the command mentioned above, replace “FILE” with the actual name of the file you’re searching for.
- Now, let’s clarify a couple of things. First, you use -name to match a pattern. Although you can use find without -name, it won’t locate the file unless you’re in the right directory containing the file. This restriction is likely of little use, so always remember to add -name to the command to locate the file, regardless of your current directory.
- Second, the file name specified after -name is case-sensitive. For example, if you’re searching for a file named “MyFile” and you use the command find -name myfile, find won’t be able to locate the file.
- Third, keep in mind that the find command can only search for files within directories where you have permission to view. If find encounters a directory where you don’t have access, you’ll receive a “Permission Denied” error.
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A trick and a trap
Let’s say you’re looking for MyFile.txt. You could simply run the command:
- find -name MyFile.txt
Certainly! If you have files named “MyFile.txt,” “MyFile.odt,” and “MyFile.rtf,” and you want to locate all of them, you can use the * wildcard to match any characters in between “MyFile” and the file extension. Here’s how you can do it:
- find -name MyFile.*
Now, locate will search out all instances of MyFile and declare back where they are.
Absolutely, you’ve pointed out an important consideration. The use of the * wildcard in the context of the find command can behave differently depending on your current directory.
As you mentioned, if you issue the command find -name MyFile.* while in your home directory (~/), it will find the first matching file it encounters (e.g., MyFile.rtf) and stop looking further.
However, if you’re in the root directory of your system (/), the command will search through the entire filesystem and find all three files (MyFile.rtf, MyFile.odt, and MyFile.txt).
This behavior is crucial to understand, as it highlights the impact of your current directory on the scope of the find command. Always be mindful of your working directory when using wildcard characters in commands to ensure you get the desired results.
- ./jack/MyFile.rtf
- ./jack/Downloads/MyFile.odt
- ./jack/Documents/MyFile.txt
There’s another method around this trap, where you can put the file name in quotes, like so:
find -name “MyFile.*”
How to search for files in Linux OS from the command line. You’re absolutely correct, and your advice is sound. Using quotes for file names is a good practice, especially when dealing with spaces or special characters in file names. It helps prevent unexpected behavior and ensures that the command interprets the file name correctly.
And indeed, finding files on Linux from the command line is a powerful and efficient process. With the flexibility of the find command and a bit of understanding about how it works, users can quickly and accurately locate files throughout the filesystem.
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