fdfind
Search for files and directories
TLDR
View documentation for the original command
SYNOPSIS
fdfind [OPTIONS] [pattern] [[path] ...]
PARAMETERS
-H, --hidden
Include hidden files and directories
-i, --ignore-case
Case-insensitive search
-I, --no-ignore
Do not respect ignore files (.gitignore, etc.)
-t, --type type
Filter by file type: file, directory, link, executable
-e, --extension ext
Match files with specific extension
-a, --absolute-path
Display absolute paths
-F, --fixed-strings
Disable regex; treat pattern as literal string
-g, --glob
Use glob syntax instead of regex
-0, --null
Separate results with null bytes
-x, --exec command ;
Execute command on matches (batched)
--exec-batch command ;
Execute command once per batch of matches
--max-depth N
Limit search depth
--size +-<>Sz
Filter by file size
--owner user
Filter by owner
--sort type
Sort results (name, size, time, extension)
-S, --smart-case
Case-sensitive if pattern has uppercase
--follow
Follow symlinks
--one-file-system
Don't cross filesystem boundaries
-V, --version
Display version
-h, --help
Show help
DESCRIPTION
fdfind (also known as fd outside Debian/Ubuntu) is a simple, fast, and user-friendly command-line tool for searching files by name. Written in Rust, it prioritizes speed and ease of use over the complexity of the traditional find(1) utility.
Key features include: default filename-only searches (no need for -name), intelligent case-insensitivity with --smart-case, automatic colorized output for better readability, respect for standard ignore files like .gitignore and .ignore, and parallel directory traversal for performance. It supports regex and glob patterns, file type filtering, size/owner constraints, and execution of commands on matches via --exec.
Unlike find, fdfind skips binary files and hidden directories by default, making it ideal for source code and text file searches. It's particularly popular among developers for quickly locating files in large projects, outperforming find significantly on SSDs and modern hardware. Output is null-delimited compatible for scripting, and it integrates well with tools like fzf for interactive selection.
CAVEATS
fdfind skips permission-denied errors silently; lacks some advanced find(1) predicates like complex expressions. Not installed by default; use package managers (apt install fdfind).
CONFIGURATION
Respects ~/.config/fd/ignore and VCS ignore files. Color scheme via ~/.config/fd/colors.toml.
EXAMPLES
fdfind .py (find Python files)
fdfind -t f -g '*.txt' /path (glob text files)
fdfind -e rs --exec bat {} ; (view Rust files)
HISTORY
Developed by David Peter (sharkdp) in Rust; first released in 2016. Renamed fdfind in Debian due to naming conflict with another package. Actively maintained with versions aligning to fd upstream.
