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# Find All Symbolic Links in Linux
- URL: https://linuxhandbook.com/find-soft-links/
- Published: 2023-01-31T12:48:01.000Z
- Updated: 2023-01-31T12:48:01.000Z
- Description: Looking for all the soft links on your Linux system? Here are a couple of methods to find symbolic links.
- Author: Sagar Sharma
- Tags: Tips

How do you find a soft link?

You can use the ls command. Some distributions show the links in a different color. The long listing is always reliable because it shows links with l.

```
lrwxrwxrwx 1 abhishek abhishek 14 Jan 31 18:07 my_link -> redirects.yaml
```

You can also [use the tree command](https://linuxhandbook.com/tree-command/):

![use the tree command to find symbolic links](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/use-the-tree-command-to-find-symbolic-links-1.png)

This is okay if you have a couple of links in the current directory. But what if you want to see the links in a nested directory structure or the entire system?

In this tutorial, I will be showing you two ways to accomplish this mission:

- Using the find command
- Using the symlinks utility

So let's start with the first one.

## Use find command to look for symbolic links

To find the symbolic links using the find command, you can use the following command syntax:

```
find Target_directory -type l
```

For example, here, I searched for available symbolic links inside the `Links` directory:

```
find Links/ -type l
```

![find symbolic links using the find command](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/find-symbolic-links-using-the-find-command.png)

But by default, the find command will initiate the recursive search and if you want to limit the search to a certain depth, you will have to use the `-maxdepth` flag.

So let's say I want to restrict the search to level 1 for the `Links` directory, I will be using the following: 

```
find Links/ -maxdepth 1 -type l
```

![search symbolic links to certain depth in linux](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/search-symbolic-links-to-certain-depth-in-linux.png)

And if you want detailed output including [the file permissions](https://linuxhandbook.com/linux-file-permissions/), user groups, etc. then you will have to pair the find command with `-ls` flag:

```
find Target_directory -type l -ls
```

![get additional information of symbolic links using the find command](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/get-additional-information-of-symbolic-links-using-the-find-command.png)

If you want a system-wide search, you can use `/` in the command.

## Use the symlinks utility to find all symbolic links 

This tool is what I used while pursuing my internship in networking. 

But it does not come pre-installed though. You can install it using your distribution's package manager. For Ubuntu/Debian, use:

```
sudo apt install symlinks
```

Once you are done with the installation, use the given command structure to look for available symbolic links:

```
symlinks -v target_directory
```

![use symlinks command to find all symbolic links in linux](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/use-symlinks-command-to-find-all-symbolic-links-in-linux.png)

Here, the `-v` option gives verbose output.

But by default, the symlinks utility won't look into subdirectories. Enable recursive search with the `-r` option:

```
symlinks -vr target_directory
```

![use symlinks command recursively](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2023/01/use-symlinks-command-recursively.png)

The output has specific terms. Let me explain them.

- `relative` indicates that links are relative to the current working directory in which the link resides.
- `other_fs` means the link is indicating a different filesystem. In my case, it is indicated to the external drive.

## Symbolic Links are Easy!

Really, they might sound like a huge deal but we made sure to break the topic bit by bit. 

Such as if you are a complete beginner, you can refer to the beginner's guide to symbolic links:

[How to Create Symbolic Links in Linux \[Complete Guide\]This detailed tutorial tells you what are symbolic links, how to create a symbolic links and other important things associated with symlinks.![](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/08/Linux-Handbook-New-Logo.png)Linux HandbookAbhishek Prakash![](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2020/06/Symbolic-Links-Linux.jpg)](https://linuxhandbook.com/symbolic-link-linux/)

And if you want to follow them to their origin, you can refer the following guide:

[How to Follow Symbolic Links in LinuxYou got a symbolic link and wondering about the actual source file? Here’s how to follow symlinks in Linux.![](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/08/Linux-Handbook-New-Logo.png)Linux HandbookSagar Sharma![](https://linuxhandbook.com/content/images/2022/09/follow-a-symbolic-link.png)](https://linuxhandbook.com/follow-symbolic-link/)

I hope you will find this guide helpful. And if you have any queries or suggestions, be my guest in the comments section.