Finding Files

GNU Findutils

This file documents the GNU utilities for finding files that match certain criteria and performing various operations on them.

Copyright (C) 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License.”

This file documents the GNU utilities for finding files that match certain criteria and performing various actions on them.

This is edition 4.4.0, for find version 4.4.0.

• Introduction: Summary of the tasks this manual describes.
• Finding Files: Finding files that match certain criteria.
• Actions: Doing things to files you have found.
• Databases: Maintaining file name databases.
• File Permissions: How to control access to files.
• Date input formats: Specifying literal times.
• Reference: Summary of how to invoke the programs.
• Common Tasks: Solutions to common real-world problems.
• Worked Examples: Examples demonstrating more complex points.
• Security Considerations: Security issues relating to findutils.
• Error Messages: Explanations of some messages you might see.
• GNU Free Documentation License: Copying and sharing this manual.
• Primary Index: The components of find expressions.