This simple tutorial explains how to search files and folders on Linux Mint. Mint is a very popular and easy to use computer operating system from GNU/Linux family based on Ubuntu Desktop. This covers its three editions namely Mint Cinnamon, XFCE, and MATE so pick the one suitable to yours. Let's search!
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See also File Searching on Ubuntu | on Elementary
How To Access File Manager
On any of Mint editions, double-click Home Folder on your desktop.
Cinnamon Edition
On this Mint edition, your file manager's name is Nemo.
Step 1. Open your file manager from start menu.
Step 2. Open the place you want to search.
Step 3. Click Find button (or Ctrl+F) and type the keyword.
Step 4. Click the button again to close your search.
👉 Note: no advanced search features on Mint Cinnamon.
MATE Edition
On this Mint edition, your file manager's name is Caja.
Step 1. Open your file manager.
Step 2. Open the place you want to search.
Step 3. Click Find button (Ctrl+F) → type the keyword → press Enter.
Note: a keyword is like 'flower' or 'mp4' or 'pdf' typed without quotes.
Step 4. Click the button again to close your search.
👉 Note: Mint MATE's search may feels slow especially when you are accustomed to another search like Mint Cinnamon or Kubuntu as it does not display result immediately (not "incremental") to you, but wait for the whole result to be finished first.
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| Caja's Advanced Search |
Xfce Edition
On this Mint edition, your file manager's name is Thunar.
Step 1. Open your file manager.
Step 2. Open the place you want to search.
Step 3. Click menu File → Search → search window opened → type the keyword → press Enter.
Note: this separate search window is called Catfish.
Step 4. Close search window to end your search.
👉 Note: search window may requests you to update the database, so allow it. It may also not showing preview of files, so click Gear button and select Thumbnails option to show.
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| Catfish's Advanced Search |
Advanced Search: Mint Xfce features file content search and exact matching. This helps you find files which contents you know but name you forget. To search file contents, visit place you want to search → File → Search → Catfish will open → type the keyword → click Gear button → tick Search File Contents option → search result will appear. Please note that this works only on plain text formatted files like TXT and source code files. See picture.
To search exact matching filename, it is useful when you remember exactly the file name and know that no other ones had such name. To do so, repeat the Advanced Search above and tick Match Results Exactly option instead. To close the search, close Catfish window.
Happy searching!
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.