{"id":362,"date":"2021-11-17T14:45:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T14:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seekfast.org\/blog\/?p=362"},"modified":"2026-09-16T13:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:10:19","slug":"how-to-search-text-in-multiple-files-in-linux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seekfast.org\/blog\/search-text-in-documents\/how-to-search-text-in-multiple-files-in-linux\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Search Text in Multiple Files in Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/span>Quick answer<\/span><\/h2>\n

Search text files:<\/strong> Use grep<\/a> or ripgrep<\/a> for plain text, code, logs, and config files.
\nSearch inside documents:<\/strong> Use a desktop app<\/a> for PDF, Word, Excel, LibreOffice, and more.
\nLooking for a file by name instead:<\/strong>\u00a0Use find<\/a> or locate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I tested a wide range of Linux file-search commands and applications\u2014far more than the ones covered here\u2014and selected the most practical and effective methods. I tested the examples on Ubuntu with the same collection of TXT, PDF, ODT, DOCX, and other files used throughout the article.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Use the table below to choose the right method first, then follow the relevant section.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/span>Which Linux search method should you use?<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The best method depends mostly on the type of files you need to search.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Task<\/td>\nBest option<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Search text files with a standard Linux command<\/td>\ngrep<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Search text files in large folders quickly<\/td>\nripgrep<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Find a file by name, not by its contents<\/td>\nfind<\/a> or locate<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Search inside PDF, Word, LibreOffice, Excel, and other documents<\/td>\nSeekFast<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Use a free open-source indexed document search tool<\/td>\nRecoll<\/a> or DocFetcher<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

The grep<\/strong> and ripgrep<\/strong> tools search inside text files, while find<\/strong> and locate<\/strong> search for filenames and paths. These tools are excellent for technical files, but they do not reliably search inside complex document formats. That is why the right answer for a folder full of documents is different from the right answer for a folder full of logs or code.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/span>Search text in files with the grep command<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The grep<\/strong> command is the standard Linux tool for finding text in files. It is best for plain text, source code, logs, CSV files, Markdown files, and configuration files.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To search for a word in the .txt<\/code> files in the current folder, use:<\/p>\n

grep \"budget\" *.txt<\/code><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To search a folder and all its subfolders, use recursive search:<\/p>\n

grep -R \"budget\" ~\/Documents\/stories<\/code><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In practice, I usually add line numbers and file names, because they make the results easier to use:<\/p>\n

grep -RIn \"budget\" ~\/Documents\/stories<\/code><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here is what the options mean:<\/p>\n