How to get only the file name using find command on Linux?

The Linux find command is one of the most widely used utilities that allows us to traverse a file hierarchy. It is primarily used to locate specific files or directories, and we can combine it with various flags and options to perform complex operations.

Let's explore a basic example of the find command to understand how it works.

In the example below, we are searching for a specific file named sample.sh in the current directory:

find sample.sh

Output

sample.sh

If the find command locates the file, it prints the file path. If the file is not found, the command terminates without output.

Getting Only File Names with GNU Find

When you want to extract only the file names without their full paths, GNU find provides the -printf option with format specifiers.

Use the following command in a GNU-compatible terminal:

find ./ -type f -printf "%f<br>"

Command Breakdown

• ./ − Search in the current directory

• -type f − Find only files (not directories)

• -printf "%f
" − Print only the basename of each file followed by a newline

Output

file1.txt
document.pdf
script.sh
image.jpg
data.csv

Alternative Method for Non-GNU Systems

If you're using a non-GNU system (like macOS or BSD), the -printf option may not be available. In such cases, you can use the following alternatives:

Using basename with find

find ./ -type f -exec basename {} \;

Using a shell script approach

Create a shell script that extracts filenames using parameter expansion:

#!/bin/bash
for file in *; do 
    if [ -f "$file" ]; then
        echo "${file##*/}"
    fi
done

Save this script as getfilenames.sh, make it executable, and run it:

chmod +x getfilenames.sh
./getfilenames.sh

Advanced Examples

Finding specific file types

find ./ -name "*.txt" -printf "%f<br>"

Finding files in subdirectories

find /home/user/Documents -type f -printf "%f<br>"

Comparison of Methods

Conclusion

The find command with -printf "%f
" is the most efficient method to extract only filenames on GNU systems. For non-GNU systems, using find -exec basename provides a portable solution. Choose the method that best fits your system compatibility and performance requirements.