LINUX COMMAND ATLAS · COMMAND GUIDE

Linux file command

Identify a file’s type by examining its contents and metadata.

file utility

Syntax

Command form

file [OPTION]... FILE...

6 options

Option	What it does
`-b, --brief`	Do not prepend filenames to output.
`-i, --mime`	Output MIME type information.
`-L, --dereference`	Follow symbolic links.
`-k, --keep-going`	Continue checking after the first match.
`-z, --uncompress`	Try to inspect compressed files.
`-s, --special-files`	Read block or character special files.

3 examples

Identify a file’s type by examining its contents and metadata.

file ./download.bin

Identify a file from its contents and metadata.

file archive.tar.gz

Print only the MIME type information.

file --mime-type image.png

file identifies types heuristically; it does not guarantee that a file is safe or valid.