Findstr.exe – What is it, Uses, Command Line

This findstr.exe is basically a tool that exists in Windows 10. It is a command-line utility to find any particular text in a doc file of the sheet. The full form of findstr.exe is Find String and is a safe Windows file.

What is Findstr.exe

If you’re looking for a tool that can pinpoint specific text in files or any other text application, look no further than findstr.exe. It is typically used to locate specific text strings in computer files and is a constituent in the shells of Windows and ReactOS.

Here is a quick overview:

• Filename: FINDSTR.EXE
• File description: Find String (QGREP) Utility
• File Version: 10.0.18362.1
• File Size: 34.5 KB (in Windows 10)
• Product name: Microsoft Windows Operating System

While there are some similarities with find.exe, some salient features of this process are:

• It does not offer support for the 16 bit Unicode Transformation Format.
• It does support rational expressions.
• It cannot find characters with zero value, also known as null terminators, or null bytes in 8-bit code, in Unicode files.

File Size and Location

Findstr.exe is stored under C:\Windows\System32 folder and the average file size is about 34 KB in Windows 10.

However, there might be multiple files of Findstr.exe in Windows that may be located under C:\Windows\SysWOW64 or C:\Windows\WinSxS\.

Quick Overview

Common Syntaxes:

FINDSTRparameters (postulated text string) [\<drive>:][<path>] <file name> […]

[\<drive>:] [<path>] <file name> […]: This part of the basic syntax signifies the file in which the text string must be located.

Parameters

As explained above, the Findstr.exe tool can be used to find any particular text in Word or Notepad. Here is a list of command-line sample that can be used with Findstr.exe:

1. /r: Operates the strings to be searched as a rational expression.
2. /l: Operates search strings literally.
3. /i: Indicates that the search ignores case distinction.
4. /s: Investigates the currently used index and all of its sub-indexes.
5. /x: Displays all the matching lines to an exact degree.
6. /v: Displays all the lines which have no equals.
7. /n: Displays the line number designated the line which has an equal.
8. /m: Displays the file name that does comprise of equals.
9. /o: Prints the relative address before each corresponding line.
10. /p: Omits the files which include formatting characters.
11. <strings>: Identifies the text to be searched in the file name. This parameter is mandatory.
12. /c:<strings>: Uses the postulated script as an actual search string.
13. /g:<file>: Acquires the searched strings from the indicated file.
14. /d:<dirlist>: Searches the listed directories. Each directory must be made distinct with a semicolon; dir1; dir2; dir3.
15. /?: Displays help.

Unless the case is preceded by /c, you should use spaces to differentiate between unique search strings.

Common Errors

Typically, findstr.exe errors can be caused by malware and corrupted files, and the first symptom of these kinds of issues may be that your system is consuming a lot of computer resources. It’s important to run a malware check to make sure that your file is not corrupted.

Findstr.exe – Application error.

In this case, the program code may be faulty, so you might need to contact the developer or install the latest version. There is also the possibility that your system does not have enough memory for the file’s functioning, so terminating some applications will free up some memory for the time being.

Findstr.exe –Error

This error signifies that the .dll file is either misplaced or outdated. You may have to reinstall the application.

Keep in mind that Trojan viruses can take the form of executable files, so be sure to download your executables from a safe source.

If at any time Findstr.exe is consuming a high CPU then it is important to check the process location. Here are the steps to locate and kill the Findstr process:

1) Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc button

2) Click on the Detail tab

3) Locate Findstr, right-click and choose End Task

In this way, you can temporarily kill or disable the Findstr process. However, if this process is continuously consuming high CPU/Memory then you should check it’s file location. If the file is not located under C:\Windows\System32 directory then you should consider deleting this file after running a complete system scan.

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