35 Essential Linux ‘find’ Command Tricks You Must Master
This guide walks you through 35 practical examples of the Linux find command, covering name searches, permission filters, owner/group queries, date‑based queries, and size‑based searches, each illustrated with clear explanations and screenshots to help sysadmins and developers locate files efficiently.
Linux find is one of the most important and frequently used commands for searching files and directories based on various criteria such as name, permissions, owner, group, date, size, and more.
Below are 35 common find command examples, organized into five sections from basic name searches to advanced size‑based queries.
First part: Basic name‑based file searches
Second part: Searching files by permissions
Third part: Searching files by owner and group
Fourth part: Searching files and directories by date and time
Fifth part: Searching files and directories by size
First part – Basic name‑based file searches
1. Find files named test.c in the current directory
2. Find files named test under the home directory
3. Find files named test ignoring case
4. Find directories named test
5. Find PHP files named test.PHP
6. Find all PHP files in a directory
Second part – Searching files by permissions
7. Find files with permission 777
8. Find files without permission 777
9. Find SGID files with permission 644
10. Find Sticky Bit files with permission 551
11. Find all SUID files
12. Find all SGID files
13. Find read‑only files
14. Find executable files
15. Find files with permission 777 and change to 644
16. Find directories with permission 777 and change to 755
17. Find and delete a single file
18. Find and delete multiple files
19. Find all empty files
20. Find all empty directories
21. Find all hidden files
Third part – Searching files by owner and group
22. Find files owned by user root named test.c
23. Find all files belonging to user neil in the home directory
24. Find all files belonging to group Developer
25. Find specific .txt files for user neil
Fourth part – Searching files and directories by date and time
26. Find files modified in the last 50 days
27. Find files accessed in the last 50 days
28. Find files modified between 50 and 100 days ago
29. Find files changed in the past hour
30. Find files modified in the past hour
31. Find files accessed in the past hour
Fifth part – Searching files and directories by size
32. Find files of exactly 50 MB
33. Find files between 50 MB and 100 MB
34. Find and delete all 100 MB files
35. Find and delete specific files larger than 10 MB (e.g., .mp3)
These 35 commands cover most common uses of the find command; feel free to share any additional tips in the comments.
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