---
title: whereis — Locate command files
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Locates the binary, source and manual page of a command.
tags: program, Basic Linux commands, whereis
---

Locates the binary, source and manual page of a command.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | whereis |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | Locates the binary, source and manual page of a command. |
| Provided by | util-linux |
| Official Documentation | https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/whereis.1.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux, macOS, BSD |
| Installation Status | Installed by default |
| Category | Linux basic commands (tags: Linux basic commands (tags: whereis, location, which, man)) |

## What is this command?

whereis looks in standard directories and reports the binary, source and manual page of a command. Unlike which, it does not walk the whole PATH.

Output is grouped into binary, source and manual; -b, -m and -s filter by type. It cannot see shell aliases or functions, so use type when the actual resolution matters.

## What problems does it solve?

- Checking where a command binary lives
- Finding the manual page file
- Inspecting files provided by a package
- An alternative when which returns nothing
## Key features

### Output by type

Shows binary, source and manual separately.

- **When to use**: Understanding a package layout
- **What you get**: You see all three locations at once.
- **Limitations**: Missing categories are simply omitted.
### Type filter

-b, -m and -s restrict the output.

- **When to use**: When only the binary path matters
- **What you get**: Output becomes concise.
- **Limitations**: A wrong filter yields no output.
### PATH independence

Searches standard paths regardless of PATH.

- **When to use**: When a script needs the real file path
- **What you get**: Results are independent of environment variables.
- **Limitations**: Tools in non-standard paths are missed.
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
whereis --version
```

sudo apt install util-linux   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install util-linux   # Fedora

## Real-world examples

### All information

Show binary and manual locations.

```
whereis ls
```

### Binary only

Show only the executable.

```
whereis -b python3
```

### Manual only

Show only the manual page.

```
whereis -m grep
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/basics/whereis.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.