Searching files within multiple folders

On Linux, the normal way to search for some text within a file is to use grep (Global Regular Expression Print). However, grep has a limitation: it cannot automatically search folders within the current folder. It can only search within files in the current folder. Today I will show you how to use grep to search within all files and folders inside a current folder (recursively).

Windows users – despair not. If you find the standard windows search brain-dead or want to automate the task through scripts, you can also use this script. I have already explained various ways to run Linux scripts on windows – use the one that suits you.

We will couple grep with the find command, to unleash the power.

Here is what you need to do on Linux (or Cygwin):

find . -type f -exec grep -iH 'dedicated' {} \;

and use this for UnxUtils on Windows:

find . -type f -exec grep -iH "dedicated" \"{}\" ;

This does a case insensitive search for the word ‘dedicated’ in the current folder and all subfolders under it. Change -iH to -H for case sensitive search.

You can read the manuals for find and grep and change the commands to suit your needs – this method provides a lot of flexibility. Post your precise usage in comments, especially for Windows.