findstr
In computing, findstr is a command in the command-line interpreters (shells) of Microsoft Windows[1][2] and ReactOS.[3] It is used to search for a specific text string in computer files.[4]
| Other names | qgrep |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Microsoft, ReactOS Contributors |
| Operating system | Windows, ReactOS |
| Type | Command |
| License | Windows: Proprietary commercial software ReactOS: GNU General Public License |
| Website | docs |
Overview
The command sends the specified lines to the standard output device.[5]
It is similar to the find command. However, while the find command supports UTF-16, findstr does not. On the other hand, findstr supports regular expressions, which find does not.
The findstr program was first released as part of the Windows 2000 Resource Kit under the name qgrep.[6]
findstr cannot search for null bytes commonly found in Unicode computer files.[7]
Syntax
FINDSTR flags strings [drive:][path]filename[...]
Arguments:
flagsThis can be any combination of flags described below.stringsText to be searched for.[drive:][path]filenameSpecifies a file or files to search.
Flags:
/BMatches pattern if at the beginning of a line./EMatches pattern if at the end of a line./LUses search strings literally./RUses search strings as regular expressions./SSearches for matching files in the current directory and all subdirectories./ISpecifies that the search is not to be case-sensitive./XPrints lines that match exactly./VPrints only lines that do not contain a match./NPrints the line number before each line that matches./MPrints only the filename if a file contains a match./OPrints character offset before each matching line./PSkip files with non-printable characters./OFF[LINE]Do not skip files with offline attribute set./A:attrSpecifies color attribute with two hex digits. See "color /?"/F:fileReads file list from the specified file(/ stands for console)./C:stringUses specified string as a literal search string./G:fileGets search strings from the specified file(/ stands for console)./D:dirSearch a semicolon delimited list of directories
Note: Following command displays the detailed help about this command:
FINDSTR /?
Example
Save your running services into file _services.txt and search in this file for lines containing word "network" - case insensitive:
@echo off
set searchstr=network
net start>_services.txt
FINDSTR /I "%searchstr%" _services.txt
pause
output would be:
Network Connections Network List Service Network Location Awareness Network Store Interface Service Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service Press any key to continue . . .
See also
 |
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Guide to Windows Commands |
References
- Microsoft WinXP documentation for findstr
- Microsoft Server 2012/2016 documentation for findstr
- https://github.com/reactos/reactos/blob/master/base/applications/findstr/findstr.c
- MS-DOS and Windows command line findstr command
- Excellent documentation on usage of findstr
- History of Findstr from Raymond Chen
- Findstr - Search for strings - Windows CMD - SS64.com
Further reading
- Stanek, William R. (2008). Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, 2nd Edition. Microsoft Press. ISBN 978-0735622623.
- John Paul Mueller (2007). Windows Administration at the Command Line for Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470165799.