Searches specified directories for files or groups of files.
The first example searches the directory /home/janet, and all its subdirectories, for any files that begin with file and end with .txt. The filenames are displayed. The second example searches the current directory, and its subdirectories, for directories and displays their names.
Rather than options, find uses conditions that are listed after the argument (the path to search). Some conditions are:
Condition | What It Does | Example |
|---|
-amin +n|-n|n | Find files with last access date more than, less than, or n minutes ago | find . -amin +30 |
-anewer filen | Find files accessed more recently than filen | find . -anewer report6 |
-atime +n|-n|n | Find files with last access date more than, less than, or n days ago | find . -atime -5 |
-cmin +n|-n|n | Find files with last changed date more than, less than, or n minutes ago | find . -ctime +5 |
-cnewer filen | Find files changed more recently than filen | find . -cnewer report8 |
-ctime +n|-n|n | Find files with last changed date more than, less than, or n days ago | find . -ctime +5 |
-group group | Find files owned by this group | find . -group janet |
-iname pattern | Find files that match pattern. Ignore case. | find . -iname FileA |
-maxdepth n | Search only n levels of subdirectories | find . -maxdepth 2 |
-mindepth n | Search only deeper than n levels | find . -mindepth 2 |
-mmin +n|-n|n | Find files with last modified date more than, less than, or n minutes ago | find . -mtime 5 |
-mtime +n|-n|n | Find files with last modified date more than, less than, or n days ago | find . -mtime 5 |
-name pattern | Find files that match pattern. use quotes when special characters are used. | find . -name lostfile |
-newer filen | Find files modified more recently than filen | find . -newer report8 |
-nogroup | Find files with nonexistent group name | find . -nogroup |
-nouser | Find files with nonexistent username | find . -nouser |
-perm mode | Find files with matching permissions | find . -perm 777 |
-print | Display names of found files | find . -name file1 -print |
-size n or nc | Find files n blocks or nc characters long | find . -size 500c |
-type c | Find files of specified type: b=block special; c=character special; d=directory; p=named pipe; l=symbolic link; s=socket; f=plain file | find . -type f |
-user user | Find files owned by user | find . -user janet |
