Linux Find Files By Date And List Files Modified On a Specific Date

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ls command example to find files by date

How do I find files by date under UNIX and Linux system? How search for files that created on a specific date on Linux or Unix-like system? How to get a list all files that have been modified on a specific date on Linux or Unix?Linux and UNIX like operating systems do not store file creation time. However, you can use file access and modification time and date to find out file by date. For example, one can list all files that have been modified on a specific date.Let us see how to find file by date on Linux. You need to use the NA command and NA command.

The syntax is as follows:

ls -l ls -lt ls -ltu ls -lt / etc / | more ls -l ls -lt ls -ltu ls -lt /etc/ | more

Sample outputs:

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11 : 42 sysctl.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11 : 42 logrotate.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11 : 42 init drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11 : 42 init.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11 : 42 dnsmasq.d-available drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 23 06: 22 bash_completion.d -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 22667 Sep 22 18 : 17 ld.so.cache drwxr-xr-x 9 root root 4096 Sep 22 18 : 17 apparmor.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 21 06: 21 ssh drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 20 05: 35 python3.5 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3611 Sep 20 05: 35 mailcap drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 13 12 : 29 apparmor drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Aug 22 21 :07 network -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 929 Aug 22 21 :07 resolv.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 492 Aug 22 21 :07 fstab drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16 : 31 cron.hourly drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16 : 29 percona-toolkit drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16 : 29 gdb drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 18 21 : 28 cron.daily ... .. ... -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 575 Oct 22 2015 profile -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10368 Oct 2 2015 sensors3.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2188 Aug 31 2015 bash.bashrc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 45 Aug 12 2015 bash_completion -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 477 Jul 19 2015 zsh_command_not_found -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 604 Jul 2 2015 deluser.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3663 Jun 9 2015 screenrc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 703 May 6 2015 logrotate.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 12 Apr 30 2015 debian_version -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 771 Mar 6 2015 insserv.conf drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 6 2015 insserv.conf.d -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 338 Nov 18 2014 updatedb.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 346 Nov 6 2014 discover-modprobe.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2932 Oct 25 2014 protocols -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 887 Oct 25 2014 rpc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19605 Oct 25 2014 services -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 280 Jun 20 2014 fuse.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 497 May 4 2014 nsswitch.conf drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11:42 sysctl.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11:42 logrotate.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11:42 init drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11:42 init.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 24 11:42 dnsmasq.d-available drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 23 06:22 bash_completion.d -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 22667 Sep 22 18:17 ld.so.cache drwxr-xr-x 9 root root 4096 Sep 22 18:17 apparmor.d drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 21 06:21 ssh drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 20 05:35 python3.5 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3611 Sep 20 05:35 mailcap drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 13 12:29 apparmor drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Aug 22 21:07 network -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 929 Aug 22 21:07 resolv.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 492 Aug 22 21:07 fstab drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16:31 cron.hourly drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16:29 percona-toolkit drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 22 16:29 gdb drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 18 21:28 cron.daily ... .. ... -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 575 Oct 22 2015 profile -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10368 Oct 2 2015 sensors3.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2188 Aug 31 2015 bash.bashrc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 45 Aug 12 2015 bash_completion -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 477 Jul 19 2015 zsh_command_not_found -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 604 Jul 2 2015 deluser.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3663 Jun 9 2015 screenrc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 703 May 6 2015 logrotate.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 12 Apr 30 2015 debian_version -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 771 Mar 6 2015 insserv.conf drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 6 2015 insserv.conf.d -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 338 Nov 18 2014 updatedb.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 346 Nov 6 2014 discover-modprobe.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2932 Oct 25 2014 protocols -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 887 Oct 25 2014 rpc -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19605 Oct 25 2014 services -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 280 Jun 20 2014 fuse.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 497 May 4 2014 nsswitch.conf

You need to use the grep command/egrep command to filter out info:

$ ls -lt /etc/ | grep filename

ls -lt /etc/ | grep 'Jun 20'

A better and recommended solution is the find command:

find . -type f -ls |grep '2017'

find . -type f -ls |grep 'filename'

find /etc/ -type f -ls |grep '25 Sep'

find Command Example

If you need a specific date range many days ago, than consider using the find command. In this example find files modified between Jan/1/2007 and Jan/1/2008, in /data/images directory:

touch --date "2007-01-01" / tmp / start touch --date "2008-01-01" / tmp / end find / data / images -type f -newer / tmp / start -not -newer / tmp / end touch --date "2007-01-01" /tmp/start touch --date "2008-01-01" /tmp/end find /data/images -type f -newer /tmp/start -not -newer /tmp/end

You can save list to a text file called output.txt as follows:

find /data/images -type f -newer /tmp/start -not -newer /tmp/end > output.txt

Linux find file by date using the date command

Gnu find as various command line option to list files by a modification and access date/time stamp.

Say hello to -newerXY option for find command

The syntax is as follows:

find /dir/ -type f -newerXY 'yyyy-mm-dd'

find /dir/ -type f -newerXY 'yyyy-mm-dd' -ls

The letters X and Y can be any of the following letters:

a – The access time of the file reference B – The birth time of the file reference c – The inode status change time of reference m – The modification time of the file reference t – reference is interpreted directly as a time

To see all files modified on the 24/Sep/2017 in the current directory:

find . -type f -newermt 2017-09-24

## pass the -ls option to list files in ls -l format ##

find . -type f -newermt 2017-09-24 -ls



OR

find . -type f -newermt 2017-09-24 ! -newermt 2017-09-25

find . -type f -newermt 2017-09-24 ! -newermt 2017-09-25 -ls

Sample outputs:

956 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 910 Sep 24 11 : 42 ./init.d/.depend.boot 958 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 876 Sep 24 11 : 42 ./init.d/.depend.start 959 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 783 Sep 24 11 : 42 ./init.d/.depend.stop 956 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 910 Sep 24 11:42 ./init.d/.depend.boot 958 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 876 Sep 24 11:42 ./init.d/.depend.start 959 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 783 Sep 24 11:42 ./init.d/.depend.stop

To see all files accessed on the 25/Sep/2017:

$ find . -type f -newerat 2017-09-25 ! -newerat 2017-09-26

OR

$ find . -type f -newerat 2017-09-25 ! -newerat 2017-09-26 -ls

List all *.c file accessed 30 days ago

Type the following command:

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime -30 -type f

OR

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime -30 -type f -ls

List all *.c file accessed more than 30 days ago

Type the following command:

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime +30 -type f

OR

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime +30 -type f -ls

List all *.c file accessed exactly 30 days ago

Type the following command:

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime 30 -type f

OR

find /home/you -iname "*.c" -atime 30 -ls

See also:

See -atime and -mtime FAQ for more information.