Linux Command: whereis

The whereis command locates binary, source, and manual page files for a command. Unlike which (which only searches PATH), whereis searches standard system directories for all components of a program. whereis looks in directories like /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /usr/share/man, and other standard locations. It finds not just the executable but also documentation and source files. This command is useful for finding all installed components of a program, locating man pages, and discovering if source code is available on the system.

Syntax

whereis [OPTION] NAME

Key Options

• -b — Search only for binaries
• -m — Search only for man pages
• -s — Search only for source files
• -u — Find commands with unusual (missing) entries
• -B — Define binary search path
• -l — List directories that will be searched

Examples

Find all components

whereis nginx

Output: nginx: /usr/sbin/nginx /usr/share/nginx /usr/share/man/man8/nginx.8.gz

Find binary only

whereis -b python3

Output: python3: /usr/bin/python3

Find man pages

whereis -m awk

Output: awk: /usr/share/man/man1/awk.1.gz

Pro Tips

• which searches PATH and finds only executables. whereis searches standard directories and finds binaries, man pages, and source files.
• Use whereis -m command to quickly check if man pages exist for a command before trying to read them.
• whereis only searches standard system directories. It may miss programs installed in non-standard locations like /opt or ~/.local/bin.

Learn more: Full whereis reference →