Windows
Linux
Terminal & Shell Scripting
Loops
Windows forfiles equivalent in Linux
Finds files by criteria and runs a command on them.
Windows
→
forfiles
Linux equivalents
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;
Overview
What this command does
Finds files by criteria and runs a command on them.
Migration tip: Check the distro-specific rows before copying; package names and service names can differ even when the tool name is similar.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Run command on matched files
Finds files by criteria and runs a command on them.
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;
Run command on matched files
find --help
Show command help when supported
man find
Open the manual page when installed
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows equivalent: forfiles
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;Reference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \; | Run command on matched files |
find --help | Show command help when supported |
man find | Open the manual page when installed |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
The equivalent is shown for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch. Some rows use a different package manager or helper tool where Linux distributions commonly diverge.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \; |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \; |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | find . -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \; |
Same command on this distribution. |
Keep learning