- 1How to Create a File in Linux
- 2How to Rename a File in Linux
- 3How to Copy a File in Linux
- 4How to Move a File in Linux
- 5How to Delete a File in Linux
- 6How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 7How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 9Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 11How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 13How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 14Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 15How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 16How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 17View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 18Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 20Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 21Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 22How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 23Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 24How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 25Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 26Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 27Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 28How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux
How to Check the File Type Using file Command
How to Check the File Type Using file
Command
Hey there! 👋 Welcome to this beginner-friendly Linux tutorial. Today, we'll explore something super useful — how to check the type of a file using the file
command.
Now you might be thinking: "Can't I just look at the file extension?" Well, not always! In Linux, files don’t have to have an extension. That’s where the file
command becomes your best friend.
📌 What does the file
command do?
The file
command examines the actual contents of a file and tells you what type of data it contains — whether it’s plain text, a PNG image, a shell script, a binary executable, or something else entirely.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Example
Let’s try it out. First, let’s list the files in our directory:
ls
Let’s say you have the following files:
notes.txt image.png script.sh unknown_file
Now, let’s run the file
command on each of them.
1. Check a text file:
file notes.txt
notes.txt: ASCII text
2. Check an image file:
file image.png
image.png: PNG image data, 800 x 600, 8-bit/color RGBA
3. Check a shell script:
file script.sh
script.sh: Bourne-Again shell script, ASCII text executable
4. Check a file with no extension:
file unknown_file
unknown_file: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV)...
Wow! Even without an extension, Linux was able to identify that the last file is a compiled program (an executable).
✨ Pro Tips
- You can check multiple files at once:
file *
- This command works great on files downloaded from the internet — always check them before opening!
🎯 Summary
The file
command is a quick and reliable way to determine what a file actually is, based on its contents, not just its name. It’s one of those tools every Linux user should know!
That’s it for this lesson! If you're following along in our Linux course, go ahead and try running file
on different kinds of files on your system.
See you in the next tutorial! 🚀
Next Topic ⮕Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
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