- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial
How to Check the File Type Using file Command
Next Topic ⮕Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
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! 🚀