How to list files and folders recursively in Linux

Recursively listing a directory tree exposes every nested file and folder below a starting path, which is useful when checking application content, auditing backup scope, or confirming what exists before cleanup work. A full recursive view is also the quickest way to spot hidden files that would be missed by a shallow directory listing.

In Linux, find is the most reliable built-in tool for this job because it walks the directory tree directly and can print every path, only files, only directories, or cleaned-up relative names from the same command flow. Unlike ls -R, it also includes hidden entries such as dotfiles without needing a separate display mode.

Recursive listings can become noisy on large trees or when the starting path includes protected directories, mounted volumes, or network storage. Start from the narrowest useful directory, add -maxdepth when only the first few levels matter, and add -xdev when a scan from a mount root such as / or /var should stay on one filesystem.

1. Print every path below the starting directory to get the full recursive view.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo
   /srv/recursive-demo
   /srv/recursive-demo/logs
   /srv/recursive-demo/logs/app.log
   /srv/recursive-demo/logs/app.log.1
   /srv/recursive-demo/README.md
   /srv/recursive-demo/.hidden-root
   /srv/recursive-demo/docs
   /srv/recursive-demo/docs/notes-2025.txt
   /srv/recursive-demo/docs/archive
   /srv/recursive-demo/docs/archive/notes-2024.txt
   /srv/recursive-demo/config
   /srv/recursive-demo/config/app.conf
   /srv/recursive-demo/config/.env

   find walks the tree directly, so hidden entries such as /srv/recursive-demo/.hidden-root and /srv/recursive-demo/config/.env appear without an extra flag.

2. Skip the starting path and print relative names when the list should be easier to scan or compare.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo -mindepth 1 -printf '%P\n' | sort
   .hidden-root
   README.md
   config
   config/.env
   config/app.conf
   docs
   docs/archive
   docs/archive/notes-2024.txt
   docs/notes-2025.txt
   logs
   logs/app.log
   logs/app.log.1

   -mindepth 1 omits the root path itself, and %P removes the starting-path prefix from each printed entry.

3. Limit the recursive list to regular files when only file paths matter.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo -type f -printf '%P\n' | sort
   .hidden-root
   README.md
   config/.env
   config/app.conf
   docs/archive/notes-2024.txt
   docs/notes-2025.txt
   logs/app.log
   logs/app.log.1

   -type f excludes directories, symlinks, device nodes, and other non-regular entries.

4. Limit the recursive list to subdirectories when the directory structure matters more than the files inside it.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo -mindepth 1 -type d -printf '%P\n' | sort
   config
   docs
   docs/archive
   logs

   Keeping -mindepth 1 in the directory-only view removes the starting directory from the result set.

5. Stop descending after the required number of levels when the top of the tree is enough.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo -maxdepth 2 -mindepth 1 -printf '%P\n' | sort
   .hidden-root
   README.md
   config
   config/.env
   config/app.conf
   docs
   docs/archive
   docs/notes-2025.txt
   logs
   logs/app.log
   logs/app.log.1

   -maxdepth 2 keeps the listing from descending into docs/archive/notes-2024.txt because that file sits one level deeper than the limit.

6. Add metadata when the recursive list also needs permissions, owners, sizes, or timestamps.

   $ find /srv/recursive-demo -ls
     2905320      4 drwxr-xr-x   5 root     root         4096 Apr 14 01:23 /srv/recursive-demo
     2905324      4 drwxr-xr-x   2 root     root         4096 Apr 14 01:23 /srv/recursive-demo/logs
     2905328      4 -rw-r--r--   1 root     root            7 Apr 14 01:23 /srv/recursive-demo/logs/app.log
     2905327      4 -rw-r--r--   1 root     root            8 Apr 14 01:23 /srv/recursive-demo/logs/app.log.1
     2905331      4 -rw-r--r--   1 root     root            6 Apr 14 01:23 /srv/recursive-demo/README.md
   ##### snipped #####

   Use -ls for a human-readable audit, and use -print0 instead of newline output when the result will be passed to another command that must handle unusual file names safely.