Linux whereis Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to whereis on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including finding binaries, source files, and manual pages.

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Table of Contents

1. Understanding whereis
2. whereis Basics
3. Finding Files
4. File Types
5. Troubleshooting

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Understanding whereis

What is whereis?

whereis locates binaries, sources, and manuals.

Uses:

• Find binaries: Locate executables
• Find sources: Locate source files
• Find manuals: Locate man pages
• Complete info: Get all file types

Why it matters:

• File location: Find all related files
• Documentation: Locate man pages
• Sources: Find source files

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whereis Basics

Find Command

Basic usage:

# Find command files
whereis ls

# Shows:
# ls: /usr/bin/ls /usr/share/man/man1/ls.1.gz

Multiple Commands

Find several:

# Find multiple
whereis ls cat grep

# Files for each

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Finding Files

Specific Types

Find binaries:

# Binaries only
whereis -b ls

# -b = binaries

Manual Pages

Find manuals:

# Manual pages only
whereis -m ls

# -m = manuals

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File Types

All Types

Complete info:

# All file types
whereis -a ls

# -a = all (shows all matches)

Sources

Find sources:

# Source files
whereis -s ls

# -s = sources

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Troubleshooting

whereis Not Found

Check installation:

# Check whereis
which whereis

# Usually in util-linux
# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S util-linux

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Summary

This guide covered whereis usage, file location, and file type finding for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• which Guide - Find commands in PATH
• locate Guide - Find files by name
• find Guide - Advanced searching
• whereis Documentation: man whereis

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.