fd Cheatsheet

Q: How is fd different from find?

fd uses regex patterns by default (not glob), is significantly faster, automatically respects .gitignore, has sensible defaults (no hidden files, no ignored dirs), and offers convenience features like extension filtering, size filtering, and built-in parallel execution with -x/-X.

Q: How do I search only certain file types?

Use -e EXT (e.g., `fd -e py` for Python files) to filter by extension. Use -t f/d/l to filter by file type (file/directory/symlink). Combine them: `fd -e js -e ts` searches both JS and TS files.

Q: How to execute a command on each result?

Use `-x` to run a command per result (e.g., `fd -e jpg -x convert {} {.}.png`), or `-X` to run all results as arguments to one command (e.g., `fd -e txt -X cat`). Use `{.}` for path without extension, `{/}` for basename, and `{//}` for parent directory.

fd is a lightning-fast Rust-based file search tool, a modern replacement for the traditional find command. Uses regex by default, automatically respects .gitignore and hidden files, supports extension, time, and size filtering with parallel command execution. 43K+ GitHub Stars.

Updated: 2026-07-20·30 commands

Quick Start

``bash fd 'config.json' # Search by filename (regex) fd -e py # Find all Python files fd -t d 'src' # Find directories named src fd -H '.env' # Include hidden files fd -e log -x rm # Delete all log files fd --changed-within 1week # Files modified in the last week`

`Basic Search`

Search files and directories by name using regex patterns. fd is case-insensitive by default and searches recursively from the current directory.

`bash fd 'config.json' # Regex search for matching filenames fd -s 'Config' # Case-sensitive search fd -i 'readme' # Explicit case-insensitive search fd -g '*.log' # Glob pattern instead of regex fd -d 3 'main' # Limit search to 3 levels deep fd --search-path /var/log # Search from a specific root fd --absolute-path 'config' # Output absolute paths fd --full-path 'src/.*test' # Match against full path, not just filename`

`Filter Options`

Powerful filtering by extension, file type, size, time, and exclusion patterns.

`bash fd -e py # Only Python files fd -t f 'config' # Files only (no directories) fd -t d 'src' # Directories only fd -t l 'link' # Symbolic links only fd -E 'node_modules' -e js # Exclude node_modules fd --size '+100MB' # Files larger than 100MB fd --size '-1KB' # Files smaller than 1KB fd --changed-within '1week' # Modified in the last week fd --changed-before '2024-01-01' # Modified before a date fd --changed-within '30min' # Modified in the last 30 minutes`

`Execute Commands`

Run commands on search results with flexible placeholder syntax.

`bash fd -e py -x wc -l # Count lines per Python file fd -e jpg -x convert {} {.}.png # Convert JPG to PNG ({} = full path, {.} = no ext) fd -e txt -X cat # Batch: cat all txt files at once fd -e py --exec-batch chmod +x # Explicit batch exec fd -e log --exec rm {} + # Parallel execution (like find -exec +) fd -e mp3 -x mv {} /backup/ # Move files to backup dir fd -0 -e py | xargs -0 wc -l # NUL-separated output for xargs`

`Advanced Options`

Fine-tune fd's behavior with hidden files, symlinks, ignore rules, and parallelism.

`bash fd -H '.env' # Include hidden and .gitignore'd files fd -L 'data' # Follow symbolic links fd --no-ignore 'secret' # Ignore .gitignore rules fd --no-ignore-vcs 'config' # Ignore VCS ignore rules only fd --no-ignore-parent 'output' # Don't read parent .gitignore fd --color always 'pattern' # Force colored output fd -j 8 -e py # Use 8 parallel threads fd -0 -e py | xargs -0 wc -l # NUL-delimited output for xargs -0`

`Expert Tips`

`bash # Find large files (>100MB) modified in the last week fd -H --size '+100MB' --changed-within '1week' -t f

# Bulk rename: replace spaces with underscores in all file names fd -g '* *' -x bash -c 'mv "$1" "${1// /_}"' _ {}

# Recursively count all lines in Python files fd -e py -X wc -l

# Copy all matching files to a target directory fd -e pdf -x cp {} /target/

# Interactive deletion with preview (using fzf) fd -e log -0 | fzf --read0 --multi | xargs -0 rm

# Find symlinks broken across the filesystem fd -t l -L -s -H . | while read -r link; do [ ! -e "$link" ] && echo "$link"; done``

Basic Search(10)

Command	Level	Example
`fd --help` Show fd help	Basic	`fd --help`
`fd PATTERN` Recursively search files whose names match PATTERN	Basic	`fd 'config.json'`
`fd -s` Case-sensitive search (default is case-insensitive)	Basic	`fd -s 'Config'`
`fd -i` Case-insensitive search (explicit)	Basic	`fd -i 'readme'`
`fd -g PATTERN` Use glob pattern matching (not regex)	Intermediate	`fd -g '*.log'`
`fd -H` Search hidden files and files ignored by .gitignore	Intermediate	`fd -H '.env'`
`fd -d N` Limit maximum search depth	Basic	`fd -d 3 'main'`
`fd --full-path` Match against full path (not just filename)	Intermediate	`fd --full-path 'src/.*test'`
`fd --absolute-path` Output absolute paths	Basic	`fd --absolute-path 'config'`
`fd --search-path DIR` Specify search root directory	Basic	`fd --search-path /var/log error.log`

Filter Options(8)

Command	Level	Example
`fd -e EXT` Filter by file extension	Basic	`fd -e py`
`fd -t f` Search files only (no directories)	Basic	`fd -t f 'config'`
`fd -t d` Search directories only	Basic	`fd -t d 'src'`
`fd -t l` Search symbolic links	Intermediate	`fd -t l 'link'`
`fd -E PATTERN` Exclude files matching a pattern	Basic	`fd -E 'node_modules' -e js`
`fd --changed-within DURATION` Find files changed within a duration	Intermediate	`fd --changed-within '1week' -e md`
`fd --changed-before DURATION` Find files changed before a given time	Intermediate	`fd --changed-before '2024-01-01'`
`fd --size SIZE` Filter by file size	Intermediate	`fd --size '+100MB'`

Execute(5)

Command	Level	Example
`fd PATTERN -x CMD` Execute a command for each search result	Basic	`fd -e py -x wc -l`
`fd PATTERN -x CMD {}` Use {} placeholder for argument position	Intermediate	`fd -e jpg -x convert {} {.}.png`
`fd PATTERN -X CMD` Batch execute (all results as one invocation)	Intermediate	`fd -e txt -X cat`
`fd PATTERN --exec-batch CMD` Explicit batch execute with command	Intermediate	`fd -e py --exec-batch chmod +x`
`fd PATTERN --exec CMD {} +` Parallel execution (like find -exec +)	Expert	`fd -e log --exec rm {} +`

Advanced(7)

Command	Level	Example
`fd -L` Follow symbolic links	Intermediate	`fd -L 'data'`
`fd --no-ignore` Ignore .gitignore rules	Intermediate	`fd --no-ignore 'secret'`
`fd --no-ignore-vcs` Ignore VCS ignore rules (keep .gitignore dir filtering)	Expert	`fd --no-ignore-vcs 'config'`
`fd --no-ignore-parent` Do not read parent directories' .gitignore	Expert	`fd --no-ignore-parent 'output'`
`fd -0` Separate output by NUL character (use with xargs -0)	Expert	`fd -e py -0 \| xargs -0 wc -l`
`fd --color always` Force colored output (even when piped)	Intermediate	`fd --color always 'pattern'`
`fd -j N` Set number of parallel threads	Intermediate	`fd -j 8 -e py`

FAQ

How is fd different from find?

How do I search only certain file types?

How to execute a command on each result?

This cheatsheet is compiled from official tool documentation. Last updated: 2026-07-20.