How to find files containing specific text in Linux?

If you would like to find a specific string of text within a directory of files, you can use the following command and example:

user@host:~$ grep -rnw '/path/to/directory/' -e 'searchterm'

Here's a breakdown of the example command and its parameters:

• -r or -R will recursively (within directories) look at all files within the specified path.
• -n will display the line number where the term shows up within each file.
• -w Matches the whole word.

• grep Manpage

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• Hacker News
• Email

~~DISCUSSION~~