35 Essential Linux ‘find’ Command Examples to Master File Searching

Linux find command is one of the most important and frequently used commands in Linux. It searches for files and directories based on criteria such as permissions, user, group, type, date, size, and more.

This article shares 35 common find command examples, divided into five parts from basic name searches to advanced size‑based queries.

Part 1: Basic name‑based file search

Part 2: Search files by permissions

Part 3: Search files based on owner and group

Part 4: Search files and directories by date and time

Part 5: Search files and directories by size

1. Find files by name in the current directory

Search for all files named test.c in the current working directory.

2. Find files by name in the home directory

Find all files named test under the /home directory.

3. Find files by name with case‑insensitivity

Find all files named test in /home, matching both upper‑ and lower‑case letters.

4. Find directories by name

Find all directories named test under the root ( /) directory.

5. Find PHP files by name

Find all PHP files named test.PHP in the current working directory.

6. Find all PHP files in a directory

Search for all .php files inside a directory.

7. Find files with permission 777

Locate all files that have permission 777.

8. Find files without permission 777

Find all files that do not have permission 777.

9. Find SGID files with permission 644

Search for all SGID files whose permission bits are set to 644.

10. Find Sticky‑bit files with permission 551

Locate all files that have the sticky bit set and permission 551.

11. Find SUID files

Find all files with the SUID bit set.

12. Find SGID files

Find all files with the SGID bit set.

13. Find read‑only files

Locate all files that are read‑only.

14. Find executable files

Find all files that have executable permission.

15. Find 777‑permission files and chmod to 644

Find all files with permission 777 and change them to 644 using chmod.

16. Find 777‑permission directories and chmod to 755

Locate all directories with permission 777 and change them to 755.

17. Find and delete a single file

Find a file named test.c and delete it.

18. Find and delete multiple files

Find and delete multiple files such as .mp3 or .txt files.

19. Find all empty files

Search for all empty files under a specific path.

20. Find all empty directories

Archive all empty directories under a specific path.

21. Find all hidden files

Use a command to locate all hidden files.

22. Find files owned by a specific user

Find all files named test.c owned by root in the /root directory.

23. Find all files belonging to a user

Find all files under ~ that belong to user neil.

24. Find all files belonging to a group

Find all files under /home that belong to the group Developer.

25. Find specific file types for a user

Find all .txt files belonging to user neil in the ~ directory.

26. Find files modified in the last 50 days

Locate all files that were modified within the past 50 days.

27. Find files accessed in the last 50 days

Find all files that were accessed within the past 50 days.

28. Find files modified between 50 and 100 days ago

Locate files whose last modification time is older than 50 days but newer than 100 days.

29. Find files changed in the last hour

Find all files that were changed within the past hour.

30. Find files modified in the last hour

Locate all files that were modified within the past hour.

31. Find files accessed in the last hour

Find all files that were accessed within the past hour.

32. Find files larger than 50 MB

Locate all files whose size exceeds 50 MB.

33. Find files between 50 MB and 100 MB

Find all files whose size is greater than 50 MB but less than 100 MB.

34. Find and delete files larger than 100 MB

Find all files larger than 100 MB and delete them with a single command.

35. Find specific files and delete them

Find all .mp3 files larger than 10 MB and delete them with a single command.

These 35 examples cover most common uses of the find command; feel free to share any additional tips in the comments.