Recursively Grep All Directories and Subdirectories

To search for a specific pattern in all directories and their subdirectories in Linux, you can use the grep command with the -r option.

Using the grep Command

The grep command is a powerful tool to search for text patterns in files. By using the -r option, you can recursively search for the specified pattern in all directories and subdirectories.

Step 1: Open Your Terminal

Open your terminal or command prompt to access the Linux command-line interface.

Step 2: Navigate to the Target Directory (Optional)

If you want to start the search from a specific directory, use the cd command to navigate to that directory:

cd /path/to/your/directory

Step 3: Run the Recursive grep Command

To perform a recursive search for a pattern, use the grep command with the -r option, followed by the pattern you want to search for:

grep -r "pattern" .

The . at the end of the command specifies the current directory as the starting point for the search. If you navigated to a specific directory in Step 2, the . should be replaced with that directory path.

Step 4: View the Results

After running the command, grep will display a list of files that contain the specified pattern, along with the matched lines and line numbers. If the pattern is found in a file, the filename and the matching line will be printed on the terminal.

Example: Searching for the Word "example"

Here's an example command to search for the word "example" in all directories and subdirectories:

grep -r "example" .