Master the Linux ‘file’ Command: Identify File Types Quickly

File: Query File Types

Function Description

The file command can be used to query the type of a specified file, revealing whether it is a binary executable, a shell script, or another format.

File types recognized include directories, shell scripts, English text, binary executables, C source files, generic text files, and DOS executables.

Command Syntax

file [options] [file]

Option Meanings

The options are explained below:

-v : Show version information

-z : Attempt to examine compressed files

-L : Follow symbolic links and display the target file type

-i : Show MIME type

-c : Verbose output for debugging or analysis

-b : Brief mode; omit the filename in the output

-f<namefile> : Read a list of filenames from a file

-m : Specify a magic file

Reference Examples

Example 1

Show the file types of all files in /root/test directory:

# file /root/test/*
/root/test/date:       directory
/root/test/readme.txt: ASCII text
/root/test/red:        symbolic link to `readme.txt`

Example 2

Show file type without displaying the filename:

# file -b readme.txt
ASCII text

Example 3

Display the MIME type of a file:

# file -i readme.txt
readme.txt: text/plain; charset=us-ascii