10+ Useful Linux find Command Examples You Should Know

Useful Linux find Command Examples

The find command in Ubuntu is a versatile tool for searching files and directories based on various criteria such as name, size, type, and modification time. It allows users to perform complex queries, execute actions on matched files, and integrate with other commands to streamline file management tasks.

find Command Examples

Finding All .log Files in the Home Directory

This command searches recursively in the home directory for files ending with .log.

find ~/ -name "*.log"

Finding All Empty Directories

This finds all empty directories under a given path.

find /path/to/search -type d -empty

Finding Files Modified in the Last 24 Hours

Use this to locate files modified in the last 24 hours.

find /path/to/search -mtime -1

Finding Files Larger Than 500 MB and Deleting Them

This finds files larger than 500 MB and removes them.

⚠️ Caution: Use this command carefully; it will permanently delete files.

find /path/to/search -size +500M -exec rm {} \;

Finding Files Owned by a Specific User and Changing Their Permissions

This locates files owned by a user and sets their permissions to 644.

find /path/to/search -user username -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Advanced `find` Command Examples

Finding Files Accessed in the Last 7 Days

find /path/to/search -atime -7

This lists files accessed in the last 7 days.

Finding Files with Specific Permissions (e.g., 777)

find /path/to/search -perm 0777

Finds all files or directories with 777 permissions.

Finding and Archiving Files Modified in the Last 3 Days

find /path/to/search -mtime -3 -type f -print | tar -czf recent-files.tar.gz -T -

This command archives all files modified in the last 3 days into a .tar.gz file.

Finding Symbolic Links in a Directory

find /path/to/search -type l

Lists all symbolic (soft) links.

Excluding a Directory from Search

find /path/to/search -path /path/to/search/exclude-dir -prune -o -name "*.txt" -print

This excludes a specific directory from the search results while finding .txt files.

Tips to Use `find` Effectively

Combine with grep to filter content inside found files.
Use -exec to apply commands like mv, chmod, chown, rm, or custom scripts.
Use xargs for better performance with many files.
Use -iname for case-insensitive search.