How to Use the ‘locate’ Command in Linux
'locate' command is your go-to for fast Linux file and directory searches.
The locate Linux command is designed to search and find files and directories on your system. Unlike other search commands like find, locate offers a quicker search by accessing a database of the files and directories.
Understanding the locate command opens doors to efficient file management in Linux. Similar to the find command, but often faster, locate is used to quickly pinpoint the location of files and directories. It’s particularly handy for IT professionals, developers, and Linux enthusiasts who need to navigate complex file systems. For those looking to enhance their workflow, combining the locate command with commands like updatedb can further streamline the search process.
How to Install the locate Command
The locate command may not be installed by default on some Linux distributions. Here’s how you can install and uninstall it, sorted by distribution:
Debian-based Systems (e.g., Ubuntu)
Install:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install mlocate
Uninstall:
sudo apt-get remove mlocate
Red Hat-based Systems (e.g., Fedora, CentOS)
Install:
sudo dnf install mlocate
Uninstall:
sudo dnf remove mlocate
Arch Linux
Install:
sudo pacman -S mlocate
Uninstall:
sudo pacman -R mlocate
openSUSE
Install:
sudo zypper install mlocate
Uninstall:
sudo zypper remove mlocate
How to Use locate
1. Limiting the Number of Results
Syntax: locate -n
Explanation: Limits the number of search results.
Example: locate -n 1 myfile.txt
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt
The command has located only one instance of myfile.txt due to the limit set by the -n option.
2. Ignoring Case Sensitivity
Syntax: locate -i
Explanation: Searches for files or directories without considering case sensitivity.
Example: locate -i MyFile.txt
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt /var/www/html/MyFile.txt
The command has located two instances of MyFile.txt ignoring the case.
3. Searching Within a Specific Directory
Syntax: locate --regex
Explanation: Searches for files or directories using regular expressions.
Example: locate --regex '/home/user/documents/.*\.txt'
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt /home/user/documents/anotherfile.txt
The command has located all text files within the /home/user/documents directory using a regular expression.
4. Counting the Number of Matching Files
Syntax: locate -c
Explanation: Counts the number of matching files or directories.
Example: locate -c myfile.txt
Output:
2
The command has counted two instances of myfile.txt in different directories.
5. Displaying Only Files Modified Within a Certain Number of Days
Syntax: locate --time
Explanation: Displays files modified within a specified number of days.
Example: locate --time 7 myfile.txt
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt
The command has located one instance of myfile.txt that was modified within the last 7 days.
6. Displaying Statistics About the Locate Database
Syntax: locate -S
Explanation: Displays statistics about the locate database.
Example: locate -S
Output:
Database /var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db: 18,234 directories 72,564 files 2,345,678 bytes in file names 456,789 bytes used to store database
The command has displayed statistics about the locate database, including the number of directories, files, and bytes used.
7. Using a Custom Database with Locate
Syntax: locate -d
Explanation: Uses a specified database instead of the default one.
Example: locate -d /path/to/custom/database.db myfile.txt
Output:
/custom/path/documents/myfile.txt
The command has located myfile.txt using a custom database specified by the -d option.
9. Excluding Specific Paths from the Search
Syntax: locate --exclude
Explanation: Excludes specific paths from the search results.
Example: locate --exclude /var myfile.txt
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt
The command has located myfile.txt but excluded results from the /var directory.
10. Locating a Specific File or Directory
Syntax: locate
Explanation: Finds the location of a specific file or directory.
Example: locate myfile.txt
Output:
/home/user/documents/myfile.txt /var/www/html/myfile.txt
The command has located two instances of myfile.txt in different directories.
More Linux commands:
| Directory Operations | rmdir · cd · pwd · exa · ls |
| File Operations | cat · cp · dd · less · touch · ln · rename · more · head |
| File System Operations | chown · mkfs · locate |
| Networking | ping · curl · wget · iptables · mtr |
| Search and Text Processing | find · grep · sed · whatis · ripgrep · fd · tldr |
| System Information and Management | env · history · top · who · htop · glances · lsof |
| User and Session Management | screen · su · sudo · open |