findfs: command not found

findfs is a command-line tool used to find a file system by either its label or UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) on a Linux or Unix-based system. It is a part of the util-linux package and can be used to locate a specific file system in a system with multiple file systems.

A file system label is a human-readable name that is assigned to a file system, typically at the time of its creation. A UUID, on the other hand, is a unique identifier that is assigned to a file system by the operating system, and it is not intended to be human-readable.

The findfs command can be used to find a file system by either its label or UUID. When used with the -l option, it will look for a file system with a specific label. When used with the -u option, it will look for a file system with a specific UUID. Once a file system is found, the command will return its device name, which can then be used to mount or work with the file system.

For example, to find a file system with the label “data”, the command would be:

# findfs LABEL="data"

To find a file system with UUID “8cc0f05e-7c9b-4c0d-8a2b-3f6f3e6e0c6a” the command would be:

# findfs UUID="8cc0f05e-7c9b-4c0d-8a2b-3f6f3e6e0c6a"

If you encounter the below error while running the command findfs:

findfs: command not found

you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:

Distribution Command
Debian apt-get install util-linux
Ubuntu apt-get install util-linux
Alpine apk add util-linux
Arch Linux pacman -S util-linux
Kali Linux apt-get install util-linux
CentOS yum install util-linux
Fedora dnf install util-linux
OS X brew install util-linux
Raspbian apt-get install e2fsprogs

findfs Command Examples

1. Search block devices by filesystem label:

# findfs LABEL=label

2. Search by filesystem UUID:

# findfs UUID=uuid

3. Search by partition label (GPT or MAC partition table):

# findfs PARTLABEL=partition_label

4. Search by partition UUID (GPT partition table only):

# findfs PARTUUID=partition_uuid
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