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FSearch
What it is
FSearch is a free Linux file-search utility for Unix-like systems, designed as a standalone application for advanced users. It is written in C with GTK3 and shows matching results while you type. Search tools include advanced syntax, wildcards, regular expressions, and filters that target files, folders, or both. You can choose local, removable, and network locations for indexing, include or exclude folders, and remove files or folders through wildcard rules. Results can be ordered by filename, path, size, or modification time. FSearch does not search inside file contents. The project is GPL-2.0 licensed, with stable and development packages available. Listed requirements include GTK 3.22, GLib 2.60, glibc 2.19 or musl 1.1.15, PCRE2 10.21, and ICU 4.4. Its Flatpak package has limited features. Sorting many results by type may be very slow, and items moved to Trash can remain visible until the index changes.
For and against
For
- Instant results while typing
- Advanced syntax, wildcards, and regular expressions
- Include or exclude indexed folders
- Sort by filename, path, size, or time
- GPL-2.0 licensed and free
Against
- Linux-only platform support
- No search inside file contents
- Flatpak package has limited features
- Trash moves may not update results
The verdict
FSearch provides fast, configurable filename and folder searching for Linux. Its lack of content search and the documented indexing limitations are important considerations for broader file-management needs.
Who it suits
FSearch suits Linux users who want a standalone, advanced file-search application with configurable indexing. It is also suited to people searching local, removable, or network locations without content search.
Plans and prices
FSearch
GPL-2.0 licensed · Stable and development packages · Flatpak has limited features
Read 10 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Dependencies
- The listed requirements include GTK 3.22, GLib 2.60, glibc 2.19 or musl 1.1.15, PCRE2 10.21, and ICU 4.4.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Flatpak limitation
- The project marks its Flatpak package as having limited features.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Implementation
- It is written in C and based on GTK3.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Index controls
- Users can include or exclude specific folders from indexing and exclude files or folders using wildcard expressions.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Intended audience
- The maker describes advanced users as the target audience and says the project is intended as a standalone search application.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository identifies the project license as GPL-2.0.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Live results
- Search results appear instantly as the user types.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- FSearch is a fast file search utility for Unix-like systems, inspired by Everything Search Engine.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Search options
- It supports advanced search syntax, wildcards, regular expressions, and filters for files, folders, or both.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Sorting
- Results can be sorted by filename, path, size, or modification time.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Sorting limitation
- Sorting many results by type can be very slow because type information is expensive to gather and is not indexed.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Support
- The README directs bug reports and feature requests to GitHub Issues, questions and discussions to GitHub Discussions, and other FSearch matters to Matrix.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Trash limitation
- Moving files or folders to Trash does not update the database index, so they may continue to appear in results.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
