On Linux operating systems that use the APT package management system, the apt-file command searches available packages for a specific file or files. The packages do not need to be installed to perform the search.
Description
The apt-file tool can list, and search for, individual files in the software packages used by APT. It’s similar to using dpkg -L, but apt-file can search all available packages, not just the ones already installed. It accomplishes this by maintaining a local cache of package contents.
Description
Installing apt-file
Syntax
Actions
Options
Examples
Relevant files and directories
Related commands
Linux command index
Actions
Options
Installing apt-file
If apt-file is not already installed on your system, you can install it with the command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install apt-file
After installation, you will receive a message about creating the apt-file cache:
The system-wide cache is empty. You may want to run ‘apt-file update’ as root to update the cache. You can also run ‘apt-file update’ as normal user to use a cache in the user’s home directory.
You may also receive a notification window:
To update your user cache, you can click Run this action now, and then Close.
Or, in a terminal you can run:
sudo apt-file update && apt-file update
To update both the system-wide cache and your user cache.
When the update is complete, you are ready to use apt-file.
Syntax
apt-file [options] [action] [pattern]
apt-file -f [options] search [file…]
apt-file -D [options] search [debian-package-name.deb…]
Actions
Options
Examples
apt-file purge
Purge the user cache. An apt-file update will be needed before a search can be performed on the user cache. If the user cache doesn’t exist, the system-wide cache can be used for user searches.
apt-file update
Download information from sources, and create or update the user cache.
sudo apt-file purge
Purge the system-wide cache. sudo apt-file update is required before the systemwide cache can be used.
sudo apt-file update
Download information from sources, and create or update the system-wide cache.
apt-file search gimp
Show every file with “gimp” in its name, in every available APT package.
apt-file –package-only search gimp
Perform the same search as above, but list only the names of matching packages.
apt-file list gimp
List every file contained in every package with “gimp” in its name.
apt-file –package-only list gimp
Perform the same search as above, but list only the matching package names. Running this command provides output similar to apt-cache –names-only search gimp.
Relevant files and directories
Related commands
apt — A unified APT front end for the command line.apt-cache — Get information about installed and available APT software packages.apt-get — Download and install APT software packages.apt-cache — Change the settings of individual APT software packages.aptitude — An enhanced APT front end for the terminal.dpkg — Install, remove, and maintain Debian software packages.