Linux: Find file - how it works

If you are looking for a file under Linux, we will help you in the following practical tip.

Search for a file using the Linux terminal

Open your terminal with the key combination [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [T] or enter the term "Terminal" in the search.

• If you are looking for a folder, the command "find -name foldername" will help you. Suppose you are looking for the "Office" folder, so type "find -name Office" in the terminal.
• You will receive the path that leads to the folder you are looking for.

How to find a special file in Linux

If you are looking for a single file instead of a folder, you can find out more in this section.

• Enter "find -iname fileName" in the console. In our example (see picture) we entered "find -iname Reime.txt".
• The file extension is important - otherwise the terminal does not give you any hits.
• The file names cannot contain spaces; You would not get a result here either.

If you are looking for files with a certain size, we will show you another practical tip on how to find large files under Linux. And if your system is out of date, we will explain how to use the terminal to carry out manual updates on Ubuntu.