$ Linux Command

Files

find

Search for files and directories by name, type, time, size, and more.

filesdirectoriessearchdeletepermissionstime

Additional Notes

find walks through directory trees and matches files using rules. It can search by name, type, size, owner, permissions, modification time, and many other properties.

Unlike ls, which mostly shows what is in one place, find is built for serious searching and batch actions. It can also run commands on each result, so it is powerful and should be used carefully.

Syntax

find [path...] [tests] [actions]

Parameters

  • path: Where to start searching. Use . for the current directory.
  • tests: Conditions such as name, type, size, or time.
  • actions: What to do with matches. If no action is given, find prints matching paths.

Common Tests

  • -name "PATTERN": Match filename using shell-style patterns.
  • -iname "PATTERN": Match filename without case sensitivity.
  • -type f: Match regular files.
  • -type d: Match directories.
  • -type l: Match symbolic links.
  • -size +100M: Match files larger than 100 MB.
  • -size -1M: Match files smaller than 1 MB.
  • -mtime -1: Modified less than one day ago.
  • -mtime +30: Modified more than 30 days ago.
  • -user NAME: Match files owned by a user.
  • -group NAME: Match files owned by a group.
  • -perm MODE: Match permissions.
  • -empty: Match empty files or empty directories.

Common Actions

  • -print: Print matching paths. This is the default action.
  • -delete: Delete matching files or directories.
  • -exec COMMAND {} \;: Run a command once per match.
  • -exec COMMAND {} +: Run a command with many matches at once when possible.
  • -ls: Print detailed information for each match.

Examples

find . -name "*.log"

Find log files below the current directory.

find /var/log -type f -mtime -1

Find files in /var/log modified during the last day.

find . -type d -name "node_modules"

Find directories named node_modules.

find . -type f -size +100M

Find files larger than 100 MB.

find . -type f -empty

Find empty files.

find . -type f -name "*.tmp" -print

Preview temporary files before deleting anything.

find . -type f -name "*.tmp" -delete

Delete matching temporary files after checking the result.

find . -type f -name "*.sh" -exec chmod +x {} \;

Add executable permission to every shell script found.

find . -type f -name "*.conf" -exec grep -n "listen" {} +

Search all matching config files with grep.

Practical Notes

  • Always preview destructive matches before using -delete or -exec rm.
  • Put patterns in quotes, such as "*.log", so the shell does not expand them too early.
  • -exec ... {} \; runs once per file. -exec ... {} + groups files and is usually faster.
  • Use -type f or -type d to avoid acting on the wrong kind of path.
  • Prefer find over parsing ls output in scripts.