How to Find Files by Name in Linux

The locate command in Linux is used to quickly find files and directories by searching a pre-built database of file paths. It’s faster than find but requires the database to be updated regularly using the updatedb command. Below are practical examples to master locate:

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Search for a File by Name

locate file.txt  

Finds all files named file.txt in the database.

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Search for Files with a Specific Extension

locate "*.log"  

Finds all files with the .log extension.

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Limit the Number of Results

locate -n 10 file.txt  

• -n 10: Displays only the first 10 results.

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Ignore Case Sensitivity

locate -i File.TXT  

• -i: Performs a case-insensitive search.

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Count the Number of Matching Files

locate -c file.txt  

• -c: Displays the count of matching files instead of listing them.

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Update the Locate Database

sudo updatedb  

Updates the database used by locate to include new files.

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Search for Files in a Specific Directory

locate /var/log/*.log  

Finds .log files only in the /var/log directory.

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Exclude Specific Paths from the Search

locate -e --regex '^/home/(?!user1).*'  

• -e: Excludes paths matching the regex (e.g., excludes /home/user1).

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Display Only Existing Files

locate -e file.txt  

• -e: Filters out paths that no longer exist.

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Search for Files Modified in the Last 24 Hours

locate -c --regex '.*' | xargs -I {} find {} -mtime -1  

• Combines locate with find to filter files modified in the last 24 hours.

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Search for Files Owned by a Specific User

locate -r '^/home/user1/.*' | xargs -I {} ls -l {}  

• Uses locate and ls to find and list files owned by user1.

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Search for Files with a Specific Pattern

locate -r '/var/log/.*\.log$'  

• -r: Uses regex to match .log files in /var/log.

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Display the Database Paths

locate -S  

• -S: Shows statistics about the locate database (e.g., paths, file count).

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Search for Files with Spaces in Their Names

locate "*my file*"  

Finds files with spaces in their names (e.g., my file.txt).

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Key Notes:

• Database Updates: Run sudo updatedb regularly to keep the database current.
• Speed: locate is faster than find but may not reflect recent changes.
• Limitations: locate cannot search file contents or metadata (use find for advanced searches).