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The Linux locate Command: Fast File Search

locate searches a prebuilt database of files, making it orders of magnitude faster than find. Use it for quick file lookups.

Basic Usage

locate myfile.txt
locate "*.pdf"

Find files by name pattern.

Update database

sudo updatedb

Rebuild the search database (run as root).

Options

Case insensitive

locate -i myfile

Ignores case.

Count only

locate -c "*.log"

Show count, not paths.

Limit results

locate -l 10 "*.conf"

Limit to 10 results.

Existing files

locate -e "*.txt"

Only existing files (skip deleted).

Further Reading