find

Syntax

UPPERCASE words are placeholders to replace. Brackets in the syntax line describe optional arguments; do not type those brackets literally.

find STARTING_PATH EXPRESSION

Example

find . -type f -name "*.txt"

Expected result

Paths of text-named files beneath the current directory.

Notes and traps

Quote the pattern so Bash does not expand it first. Preview before adding any action that deletes or modifies files.

Related commands

• PowerShell: Select-String
• Bash: grep
• CMD: findstr

Related tasks may need different flags and have different semantics. Check the entry before translating a command between shells.

Updated 13 September 2026. Examples describe the expected behavior; not every platform is available for execution testing.