Search for text in a file using Terminal on Mac

To locate a string within a file, use the grep tool.

The grep tool searches the named input files for lines containing a match to the given pattern. By default, grep prints the matching lines.

To search for a unique string in a file:

% grep search_string filename

Replace search_string with the string to search for, and replace filename with the name of the file whose contents you want to search.

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Terminal User Guide