Cmd findstr in folder Nov 24, 2016 · I have this string in a text file (test. Changing <filepath> to a regular expression makes the command look for the specified pattern in all files that match. May 10, 2018 · Powershell requires (much) more resources (RAM) than cmd so if all you need is something quick and simple, it makes more sense to use cmd. Nov 16, 2011 · Get-ChildItem -recurse | Get-Content | Select-String -pattern "dummy" The problem is, I can see the occurences of the text I am looking for, but I don't know how to tell PS to return the path and the name for every matching files as well. findstr - Search for strings in files. In other words I want to query asp, web. g. I have edited the answer accordingly. Is there a way to count those results so I don't have to do it manually, or like enable row numbers in CMD? Feb 12, 2024 · How to Replace Text From File in Batch Script Using findstr and echo The findstr command is a powerful tool for searching for text patterns in files. For example, I want to find all files that include BOTH &quot;String: A Oct 1, 2022 · Note: Each folder has further sub directories String to find: What I tried: findstr /spin C:\xampp\htdocs\projects\e-pay\script\vendor:"please enter your datbase connection details" *. Default for strings = a space or TAB. The reason why findstr /v "unwanted" test. Furthermore, the command handles about 1 GB a minute. Syntax: FINDSTR Searches for strings in files. Adding parameters to the findstr command gives you flexibility in finding words in files and even finding files. txt>test2. I've tried: findstr /s /m /c:"the_word_i_need_to_find" * But this command search in files with any extension. Mar 21, 2025 · Findstr command information for MS-DOS and the Windows command line. ini files. Dec 28, 2015 · I have a file example. Or use it to get the file name only of any file (s) that contain any number of matches. findstr is particularly useful in scripting, log analysis, and automated tasks […] Dec 20, 2019 · I have a folder with subfolders, which include files. txt using findstr and I have the following issue: set "log_file=C:\Tools_Dev\log_file. I'm redirecting findstr's output to different text files, however I need to get rid of the starting part of the output l Sep 5, 2025 · Learn how to search for modified files in CMD using FC, COMP, and FINDSTR. How can I sort the returned files by its modify da Jan 8, 2000 · Use spaces to separate multiple search strings unless you use /c. r9994 Where an number is appended after the letter r, done by SVN. txt): BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA Found 11 errors and 7 warnings I perform this command: findstr /r "[0-9]+ errors" test. Here are some examples: Example 1: Simple text search: Oct 1, 2022 · Note: Each folder has further sub directories String to find: What I tried: findstr /spin C:\xampp\htdocs\projects\e-pay\script\vendor:"please enter your datbase connection details" *. Jul 24, 2025 · The findstr command in Windows allows you to search for complex patterns using regular expressions within files. Like grep it searches files and output streams for matching strings and patterns. html would search for Windows, NT, or FAQ in ntfaq. "BAR"). Here is the command I am using findstr /s /i "my-key-word" *. /S Searches for matching files in the current directory and all subdirectories. What is the difference between these two? For future reference, Microsoft has an online Windows XP - Command-line reference A-Z which is still mostly applicable to later versions. Do you know if it starts searching from where cmd. For Windows, the grep alternative is findstr. Aug 31, 2016 · All findstr command-line options must precede Strings and FileName in the command string. exe is located or from the path showed in command-line itself (for me it's C:\Users\amiregelz)? Nov 16, 2011 · Get-ChildItem -recurse | Get-Content | Select-String -pattern "dummy" The problem is, I can see the occurences of the text I am looking for, but I don't know how to tell PS to return the path and the name for every matching files as well. txt In order to get just 11 errors string. txt you're asking for all lines in test. txt and a string "Hi" and the beginning of the 15th line. Go to the folder, from where you want to start the search. Feb 21, 2018 · So I am running a FINDSTR command to search a file for the text [errorCode: 0] and using the option /v to output the lines which do not contain this string. The `FINDSTR` command in the Windows Command Prompt is a more powerful alternative to `FIND`. /C:string Use string as a Sep 22, 2021 · Finding Words in Files Let’s start learning about the findstr command by finding words in files. e. f90 to list all files with suffix . Command1 findstr "str1" *. Let's say you search for a text (e. txt Note: the whole output of the for /f loop is redirected in one go, which is a big time saver with big files. Syntax FINDSTR string(s) [pathname(s)] [/R] [/C:"string"] [/G:StringsFile] [/F:file] [/D:DirList] [/A:color] [/OFF[LINE]] [options] Key string(s) Text to search for, each word a separate search. Step 1 You need to click on the file explorer. txt" as is, the quotes are then trimed but as there is an escaped quote (\" from C:\ICT\"), this quote is kept as is. I need to use regex in my batch script. In your case, the easy solution would be to pipe a string into the command instead of supplying a filename eg. Feb 3, 2023 · Reference article for the findstr command, which searches for patterns of text in files. In Linux the way of doing it is to add | grep -v str2 (to grep str1 * of cours Feb 10, 2023 · I'm trying to search a folder for all files that include two different strings. Is that possible by one line in cmd? Apr 26, 2019 · I need to search the contents of a folder for phrases contained within files contained within that folder. find or findstr. Jun 18, 2018 · I'm trying to use FINDSTR to search through a folder full of text files, using a text file of strings, then output to results. txt | find /c /v "GarbageStringDefNotInYourResults" So you are counting the lines resulting from your findstr command that do not have the garbage string in it. I achieved proper code until this point. It is available in all major Windows versions including Windows 10. config, or text files for that particular string. Sep 19, 2023 · The type "%i" command reads the contents of the file, the findstr /v "example" command removes the string "example" from the contents, and the move /y "%i. What is the simplest way to d For future reference, Microsoft has an online Windows XP - Command-line reference A-Z which is still mostly applicable to later versions. Only folder. ". The followi Feb 10, 2016 · PowerGrep can search in MS-Word files and have a command line option: PowerGrep can quickly search text and binary files, compressed archives, MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, OpenOffice documents, Lotus spreadsheets, Zip files and more on a network and PC. Jan 28, 2021 · Use findstr rather than find to get the file name and line content of matches only. In the following example script, we use findstr to locate lines containing the text substring we want to replace within the specified file. So it's not a given that the text file is a more useful format. Jan 20, 2023 · Can someone please help me with this. txt. *. txt without "unwanted" in it. (default = 0) eol=; Character at the start of each line to indicate a comment The default is a Mar 21, 2011 · This shows you how you can search for specific string in a file using PowerShell like grep in the Linux and Unix world or findstr in the Windows shell. Feb 10, 2016 · PowerGrep can search in MS-Word files and have a command line option: PowerGrep can quickly search text and binary files, compressed archives, MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, OpenOffice documents, Lotus spreadsheets, Zip files and more on a network and PC. doc" and "docx"). "abc") in a folder, specifically in all the Word files (e. My command below does not produce any results, whereas the FINDSTR Use the FINDSTR command to search for a specific string in a file or files and send the specified lines to your output device. * Output File. 3 In cmd, navigate to C:\Users, and run dir /s /b | findstr AppData\Local | findstr txt Explanation: dir /s lists all files recursively, /b displays full path, and within all these child files, use pipeline operator to search both the string 'AppData\Local' and 'txt'. "I monitored a Powershell session executing Get-ChildItem. exe but when I try to execute it, it gives me the following error FINDSTR: Bad command line Tried so many things but unable to fix. txt is empty: there Nov 6, 2014 · For instance, /b and /e tell findstr to only display lines with the search term at the beginning or end of the line, respectively. Temp. Net framework. What am I doing wrong? Sep 16, 2014 · Finding Duplicate entries in a file using command prompt Asked 11 years, 2 months ago Modified 11 years, 2 months ago Viewed 1k times Nov 12, 2012 · I want to write a batch file which used the find command to find a string in the parent directory and all sub directories, and prints that output to a text file, then opens the text file when done. findstr will not return substrings matching the conditions but the whole line where the conditions are met. Dec 17, 2024 · The findstr command in Windows is a versatile tool used for searching specific strings or patterns within files or command outputs. txt" Is there something that can search for "Hi" Oct 5, 2023 · Windows command to recursively search for a string in a directory and output results to txt file (s = recursive, i = case insensitive, n = line number detail) - findstr. The following command finds all occurrences of “<?php” at the beginning of the line in all PHP files of the current folder: Oct 16, 2018 · From Windows CMD I can use findstr -m subroutine *. Mar 21, 2011 · This shows you how you can search for specific string in a file using PowerShell like grep in the Linux and Unix world or findstr in the Windows shell. Powershell takes longer to load, and can consume a lot more RAM than CMD. txt:"something","str1","something else Nov 6, 2014 · For instance, /b and /e tell findstr to only display lines with the search term at the beginning or end of the line, respectively. Feb 3, 2023 · Reference article for the find command, which searches for a string of text in files, displaying the specified text string in the file. Jan 8, 2000 · Use spaces to separate multiple search strings unless you use /c. " Is there a way to do this -- at the command line, for example (assuming such is still available in Windows 10)? Mar 30, 2020 · (for /f "tokens=1,*" %%a in ('findstr /b "Data:" data. asp, . *frm *. Compared to the find command, findstr offers more advanced and flexible search capabilities, making it ideal for extracting specific data from logs, searching across multiple files, and filtering command outputs. For example, in a given (network) folder, I want to search all the MS Word docs in the folder for a phrase such as "knee brace. You can use Select-String similar to grep in Unix or findstr. To list all . Then the command should look like this. Jan 12, 2017 · Search for a text string in a file (or multiple files) unlike the simple FIND command FINDSTR supports more complex regular expressions. The command findstr /c:"Windows NT FAQ" ntfaq. Please take the tour and read How to Ask before editing your question to include a minimal reproducible example of the batch file content you have tried along with what was returned. bat) that you double-click on it and it will run automatically. Open The Command Prompt The first step to use the findstr command is to pop up the command prompt. I currently run the following command to search the directory: findstr /s "customerid" * Now this allows me t Dec 29, 2020 · I need to find just a folder wwwroot in whole disk F , and not files. FINDSTR will prevent console color escape sequences from working for subsequent commands within the same command block. I searched that and find a solution Windows recursive grep command-line I applied same with two different approach, Nov 24, 2018 · I want to search specific string in a . It supports regular expressions and various search options. It offers powerful options for text searching, including case insensitivity, use of regular expressions, and recursive searches through directories. I am writing a batch file script using Windows command-line environment and want to change each occurrence of some text in a file (ex. Find String when put in short became FINDSTR. ini looking for the string \output. Mar 20, 2025 · Learn how to quickly search for text within files on Linux and Windows using powerful tools like grep, Notepad++, and findstr. You can limit the search to . Is it possible to use findstr in order to find file names that contain 2 different strings, for example. Is there a way to use findstr to get powershell to search through the whole drive for a specific string? Aug 2, 2018 · Enter FindStr /? at the Command Prompt and read the usage information. The followi The above command will loop through every file (named test*. txt The text file of strings contains 3,200 lines, each containing an authors name and associated book title. The command to count the no of lines is findstr /R /N "^" file. Jan 5, 2024 · Learn how to create, delete, find, rename, compress, hide, move, copy and manage a file or folder using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10. "main" in my project on windows OS recursively. I am trying to log my results of my search term in a text file called results. How to search for the exact match of string (s) using the windows findstr command? For example: I need to find only the exact match the string store but not stored, storeday, etc. txt won't work is because findstr searches for lines matching the conditions you gave it. Jan 23, 2013 · I successfully managed to seek strings in a long list of files with findstr. If you write each line individually, the file has to be opened, read until the end of the file, written and closed again for every single line. txt" a-findstr C/:"text to find" %log_file% works Apr 15, 2021 · FINDSTR Search for a text string in a file (or multiple files) unlike the simple FIND command FINDSTR supports more complex regular expressions. r[0-9]* /s /b File Not Found in hopes to find files like abc. The /N switch already limits the output to the matching line. This solution doesn't require complex batch logic or putting the find command in a loop to parse output and such to get the expected result (s). txt findstr command Another tool which is grep equivalent in windows is the findstr command. The window of command prompt will be open before you. skip= n A number of lines to skip at the beginning of the file. r12222 tjy. Mar 12, 2024 · I'm trying to find a string inside a file. By default, Select-String finds the first match in each line and, for each match, it displays the file name, line number, and all text in the line containing the Feb 21, 2018 · So I am running a FINDSTR command to search a file for the text [errorCode: 0] and using the option /v to output the lines which do not contain this string. g. The required code for findstr should be: findstr /b /n "Hi" "example. FINDSTR was introduced in the Windows NT 4 Resource Kit and is now a native command in Windows 2000 and later. txt file with FINDSTR command, and copy files, which contain my str Jul 2, 2019 · The grep command in Linux is widely used for parsing files and searching for useful data in the outputs of different commands. Is it possible to regex replace from command line? Right now I'm using notepad++ to do this. Jan 19, 2021 · I want to search a string in files without extension. txt) and run findstr on each file followed by a newline (echo:). txt') do echo %%b) > done. htm. It offers advanced features and supports regular expressions. By following these steps, you’ll be able to search for specific words or phrases within files straight from the command line. Apr 9, 2015 · Trying to find any files of certain pattern in a directory and its subdirectories. The command I am running is findstr /i /s /m /C:\output *. Sep 9, 2022 · I use 'findstr' to find certain common values in a lot of files and I get a list of all files containing it. The Findstr command is similar to the Find command but provides a bit more power. I tried: C:\test\workspace>dir *. Oct 16, 2018 · As it is quoted if the file name being processed by findstr includes spaces or special characters the command will fail because they are out of a quoted area. Is there a way to use findstr to get powershell to search through the whole drive for a specific string? Jan 23, 2013 · I successfully managed to seek strings in a long list of files with findstr. /I Specifies that the search is not to be case-sensitive. Complete guide and advanced search solutions in Windows. Mar 20, 2012 · I want to search all files in a certain directory for occurrences of statements such as Load frmXYZ I am on Windows 7, using the findstr command. Command Prompt Reference FINDSTR /B Matches pattern if at the beginning of a line. pathname(s) The file(s) to search. Use findstr to Search a Sub Directory for a String? I can use the following to search for text files that contain the word "string" from the Windows Command Prompt: What if I want to search a sub-directory? The following doesn't work: Is it possible to search a specific sub path using findstr? Sep 26, 2022 · Findstr is capable of searching through multiple files. We look for option available with findstr command using help findstr It is quite a powerful search command like grep and we can use regular expression with it We have a text file, which we will use in our examples Aug 24, 2015 · What is the Windows equivalent of the Linux/Unix command wc -l? Basically, how do you count the number of lines output from a command on the Windows command line? May 26, 2023 · Currently, I need to find out all the files which contains the key word. I tried: findstr /n Load. txt-files for a significant performance boost. There's a very rough estimate, but scanning the entire C:-drive typically takes a few hours as opposed to five minutes. I have a folder called New Folder with 3 files called Jun 8, 2016 · Now I want to use Windows command prompt to search for a specific text term within all files located within the current directory and sub directories How do I use the Windiows command findstr to search subdirectories? findstr is a shell command that searches for text in files [1] and prints matching lines to standard output. To avoid this, nest the command inside parentheses (FINDSTR options). Important Tips Here are some important tips to keep in mind when using the find string and replace feature: Jul 15, 2016 · Further Reading An A-Z Index of the Windows CMD command line - An excellent reference for all things Windows cmd line related. Here are some examples: Example 1: Simple text search: findstr /c:"@" mail. [2] The command provides similar functionality as find, but findstr supports regular expressions. Jul 8, 2025 · If you are planning to use command lines to find duplicate files and clean them, these comprehensive guidance will share specific steps for you, involving both CMD and PowerShell. After every file has been processed by findstr then we will count the number of lines. The command findstr "Windows NT FAQ" ntfaq. Sep 6, 2024 · In this section, we’ll walk you through each step to help you master the ‘findstr’ command in Windows 10. How can I get the name and location of the files that contains the expression I am looking for? Feb 5, 2015 · Further Reading An A-Z Index of the Windows CMD command line - An excellent reference for all things Windows cmd line related. bat Jul 20, 2015 · I've come across a new string I want to search for in the same file and do the same action if it finds it, it stored it in a variable called %acctg_cyc% can I search for both strings in one line of code? Overview findstr is a command-line tool in Windows CMD that searches for patterns of text in files. html. If what you're looking for is in a flat file, you can find what you're after without having to load your file into another program. Select-String is based on lines of text. config, and . But when I extend it to cover the current folder and sub-folders: findstr /S "import" May 7, 2014 · To the command findstr str1 *. Regular expressions use both literal characters and metacharacters to find patterns of text, rather than exact strings of characters. (Tips. tmp" "%i" command replaces the original file with the modified one. exe in Windows. What is the simplest way to d Feb 13, 2023 · find /? prints: Searches for a text string in a file or files. Page includes findstr availability, syntax, and examples on how to use the findstr command. I'm using PowerShell and the findstr command. The findstr command is a Windows grep equivalent in a Windows command-line prompt (CMD). /R Uses search strings as regular expressions. CMD uses native Win32 calls and Powershell uses the . Use findStr tool that adds the flexibility to run the unix grep commands on windows. That's why test2. txt" a-findstr C/:"text to find" %log_file% works Nov 23, 2013 · In case the input of your findstr command should not be the result of ipconfig, you could use the following line of code to look for an ip-address in a text or csv file. It is also used to find files with Mar 10, 2017 · Just for reference, with findstr, you get highlighted filenames on the command line, and you don't get this in a text file (obviously). and findstr /? prints: Searches for strings in files. Kind of a hack, but it could work for you. Oct 9, 2020 · If you're in a Micrososft Windows machine, you can use a batch script using the find string command (findstr) from the command prompt direclty or as a batch file (. py it returns a number of matches. Nov 16, 2019 · I have been given the clue of using the findstr command, however, this is only useful for searching through one directory. How can I read the first line from a text file using a Windows batch file? Since the file is large I only want to deal with the first line. "FOO") with another (ex. . Jul 30, 2015 · I want to search one string e. The findstr command is a built-in command-line tool, which sends specific lines of matching words to the standard output device. I created a batch that will use windows FINDSTR to search for my selective input. Jun 16, 2021 · A quick guide to how to port the unix grep command in windows os. Net) * Find one or more strings in a piped command's output: {{dir}} | findstr "{{string1 string2 }}" Find one or more strings in all files recur [s]ively: findstr /s "{{string1 string2 }}" * Find strings using a case-insensitive search: findstr /i "{{string1 string2 }}" * Find strings in all files using regular expressions: findstr /r Apr 14, 2011 · I want to count the no of lines in a text file and then the value has to be stored into a environment variable. In command line I can only use FINDSTR wich can only locate the mached files/lines EDIT : Maybe it will I am writing a batch file script using Windows command-line environment and want to change each occurrence of some text in a file (ex. html would search for Windows NT FAQ in ntfaq. The command DIR /X will reveal short filenames if they exist, where many similar names exist in the same folder the short file name (SFN) will not always be an obvious contraction of the long name. /L Uses search strings literally. * I want to add something that will exclude the results which contain the string str2. What am I doing wrong? The Select-String cmdlet uses regular expression matching to search for text patterns in input strings and files. f90 containing "subroutine". In Windows 10, with a batch file, I want to search specific string in a . Nov 8, 2018 · I am trying to write a batch file that allows the user to input a partial filename, and it will search dozens of sub-directories, find and open all of the pdf files whose name contains the user input. txt file with FINDSTR command, and copy files, which contain my string, into current folder. Oct 23, 2014 · Open up a Windows console (or CMD). Jun 6, 2025 · What is FINDSTR and how to use FINDSTR FINDSTR is a command used to find specific text in files on Windows. /E Matches pattern if at the end of a line. For example, I want to find all files that include BOTH &quot;String: A Oct 14, 2010 · My system has findstr. This step-by-step guide covers basic commands, advanced options, and practical examples for efficient file searching. Jun 11, 2021 · find "string name" *. php But Nothing showed up! can any body guide me the correct way how the string can be find in a particular location? May 25, 2017 · When I use findstr on a single file, like this: findstr "import" filename. txt:"something","str1","something else The command DIR /X will reveal short filenames if they exist, where many similar names exist in the same folder the short file name (SFN) will not always be an obvious contraction of the long name. It is similar to the UNIX/Linux grep command and can be used to search single or multiple files for lines that contain a specified string or expressions. When you want to find and display only the records that includes a specific term or terms, you have to pass the following command switch parameters: “ /r /c ”. In other words, if you want to find specific exact match text strings in files, in a command-line output, or elsewhere, you may use the free findstr command on Windows to do so. Aug 31, 2022 · Grep is a command-line option used to find a specific string from inside a file or multiple files or from an output of a command but it can be used only in Linux. Jul 12, 2021 · I've been having some problem in using FIND or FINDSTR command to find a particular string in a log file and return its output with the matching string along with 1 line above and 1 line below the matching line. Alternatively, just use the find /c on the string you do care about being there. This is the used code: @findstr /i /v &q Sep 30, 2015 · I am running the windows command findstr to search for a specific sting only in . In findstr /v "unwanted" test. Oct 19, 2020 · Finding data within files is a common need. So, we need a way to separate the two quotes, without including a non desired character in the findstr expression but properly closing each quoted area Oct 4, 2016 · I am attempting to find multiple strings in files in a directory, there are thousands. Step 2 As soon as the explorer window throws up, enter “cmd” on the search bar. The documentation in the answer you accepted is at the end of the section on the for command. exe. Dec 27, 2023 · The findstr command offers much of grep‘s core functionality directly from the Windows Command Prompt. java. txt | find /C ":" I re Aug 10, 2011 · The solutions that search a file for a substring can also search a string, eg. f90 files not containing the string I can do something like dir /b Jul 5, 2016 · The command file is an executable named “ findstr. May 4, 2018 · findstr is a built-in tool of the Windows operating system that you may run from the command line to find text in files or in command-line outputs. Jun 10, 2021 · FINDSTR will then try to find the file "C:\ICT\"RefilterMe". Syntax FOR /F [" options "] %% parameter IN (filenameset) DO command FOR /F [" options "] %% parameter IN ("Text string to process") DO command Key options: delims= xxx The delimiter character (s). Jan 14, 2015 · I am trying to generate a file with all of the rows from an input file containing a certain string using the FINDSTR commanand in cmd. txt So I do have something like this so The `FINDSTR` command in the Windows Command Prompt is a more powerful alternative to `FIND`. * But this g Sep 18, 2014 · I want to search for a string in files which end with . exe ” and can be located at system directory (generally, at “ C:\Windows\System32 ” folder).