Skip to content

Using the locate Command in the ChromeOS Linux Environment

The locate command is a powerful tool for quickly searching for files on a Linux system. Unlike find, which searches the filesystem in real-time, locate uses a pre-built database, making searches significantly faster. This is particularly useful in ChromeOS's Linux (Crostini) environment for efficiently finding files.

Installing locate

By default, locate is not preinstalled in ChromeOS's Linux environment. You can install it using:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install mlocate

After installation, initialize the database with:

sudo updatedb

Using locate

Finding a File by Name

To locate a file, simply run:

locate filename

For example, to find a file named example.txt:

locate example.txt

Filtering Results

Since locate returns all matches, you can filter results using grep:

locate example | grep /home/user/

Updating the Database

Since locate relies on a database, it may not reflect the latest changes. Update it manually with:

sudo updatedb

Limiting the Number of Results

To limit the number of displayed results, use:

locate -n 10 filename

For case-insensitive searches:

locate -i filename

Practical Use Cases

  • Quickly finding configuration files: 
    locate .bashrc
  • Searching for specific file types: 
    locate "*.log"
  • Finding executables: 
    locate /bin/bash

Conclusion

The locate command is a highly efficient tool for quickly finding files in the ChromeOS Linux environment. By maintaining an updated database, users can leverage its speed and simplicity to streamline file searches.