How to search for text inside files

Search file contents recursively with grep on Linux, findstr in CMD and Select-String in PowerShell — with context lines, exclusions and case-insensitive matching.

Beginner · about 5 min · Linux, Windows, macOS

Finding which config file sets a value, or which log line preceded a crash, is a content search rather than a filename search. Each platform has a native tool, and all three support recursion, case-insensitivity and context.

What this guide covers

• Linux: recursive search with line numbers
• Linux: context around each hit
• Linux: skip noisy directories
• Windows CMD: findstr
• PowerShell: Select-String returns objects

Common pitfalls covered

• Unquoted patterns get mangled by the shell — always quote.
• grep -F searches for a literal string; use it when your pattern contains dots, brackets or slashes.
• Binary files produce a 'binary file matches' line; add … to skip them.

Questions answered

• How do I search all files in a directory for a word?
• How do I search only certain file types?
• Is there anything faster than grep?

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