25 Practical Examples of Linux Find Command

Introduction

Linux Find Command is a powerful utility that enables you to search for files and directories on your system. command searches for files and directories based on various criteria, including file name, type, size, date modified, and ownership, among others.

This article provides 25 practical examples of how to use Linux Find Command to search for files and directories based on specific criteria.

Find Files by Name

The simplest way to use Linux Find Command is to search for files by name. For example, to search for all files with name "example.txt," use following command −

$ find / -name example.txt

This command will search for file "example.txt" in root directory and all subdirectories.

Find Directories by Name

You can also use Linux Find Command to search for directories by name. For example, to search for all directories with name "example," use following command −

$ find / -type d -name example

Find Files by Type

The Linux Find Command also allows you to search for files based on their type. For example, to search for all PDF files on your system, use following command −

$ find / -type f -name "*.pdf"

Find Files by Size

You can also use Linux Find Command to search for files based on their size. For example, to search for all files larger than 10MB on your system, use following command −

$ find / -type f -size +10M

Find Files by Date Modified

The Linux Find Command also allows you to search for files based on their date modified. For example, to search for all files modified within last 24 hours, use following command −

$ find / -type f -mtime -1

Find Files by User

You can also use Linux Find Command to search for files based on their owner. For example, to search for all files owned by user "john," use following command −

$ find / -type f -user john

Find Files by Permissions

The Linux Find Command also allows you to search for files based on their permissions. For example, to search for all files with read and write permissions for owner, use following command −

$ find / -type f -perm 600

Find Empty Files and Directories

The Linux Find Command can also be used to find empty files and directories. For example, to find all empty directories in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type d -empty

This command will search for all empty directories in root directory and all subdirectories.

Find Recently Accessed Files

You can use Linux Find Command to find files that have been accessed recently. For example, to find all files that have been accessed in last 7 days, use following command −

$ find / -type f -atime -7

Find Recently Modified Files

You can also use Linux Find Command to find files that have been modified recently. For example, to find all files that have been modified in last 7 days, use following command −

$ find / -type f -mtime -7

Find Files by Extension

You can use Linux Find Command to find files based on their extension. For example, to find all files with extension ".txt" in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -name "*.txt"

Find Files by Age

You can also use Linux Find Command to find files based on their age. For example, to find all files that are older than 30 days in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -mtime +30

Find Large Files

You can use Linux Find Command to find large files on your system. For example, to find all files larger than 100MB in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -size +100M

Find Files by Name and Ignore Case

You can use Linux Find Command to search for files by name and ignore case. For example, to search for all files with name "example.txt" and ignore case in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -iname example.txt

Find Files by Modification Time

The Linux Find Command allows you to search for files based on their modification time. For example, to search for all files modified in last 10 minutes in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -mmin -10

Find Files by Access Time

You can also use Linux Find Command to find files based on their access time. For example, to find all files that have been accessed in last 24 hours in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -amin -1440

Find Files by User

You can use Linux Find Command to find files owned by a specific user. For example, to find all files owned by user "john" in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -user john

Find Directories by User

You can also use Linux Find Command to find directories owned by a specific user. For example, to find all directories owned by user "john" in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type d -user john

Find Files by Group

You can use Linux Find Command to find files owned by a specific group. For example, to find all files owned by group "users" in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -group users

Find Directories by Group

You can also use Linux Find Command to find directories owned by a specific group. For example, to find all directories owned by group "users" in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type d -group users

Find Files by Permissions

You can use Linux Find Command to find files based on their permissions. For example, to find all files with read and write permissions for owner in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -perm 600

Find Directories by Permissions

You can also use Linux Find Command to find directories based on their permissions. For example, to find all directories with read, write, and execute permissions for owner in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type d -perm 700

Find Files by Type

You can use Linux Find Command to find files based on their type. For example, to find all symbolic links in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type l ``

Find Files by Size

You can use Linux Find Command to find files based on their size. For example, to find all files larger than 1 megabyte in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -size +1M

Find Files with Multiple Criteria

You can use Linux Find Command to find files with multiple criteria. For example, to find all files modified in last 24 hours, owned by user "john," and larger than 1 megabyte in root directory and all subdirectories, use following command −

$ find / -type f -user john -size +1M -mtime -1

Conclusion

The Linux Find Command is a powerful tool that can be used to search for files and directories based on a variety of criteria. With examples provided in this article, you should have a good understanding of how to use this command to streamline your workflow and make managing your files and directories much easier. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced Linux user, Find Command is an essential tool that you should add to your arsenal.