How do I exclude a directory when using `find`?

Question

Aryan Kumar · Answer

Sure, there are a few ways to exclude a directory when using find. Here are two methods:
Method 1: Using the -path option
The -path option tells the find command to only search for files and directories that match the specified path. To exclude a directory, you can use the
-path option with the ! operator.
For example, to exclude the directory /home/user/my_directory from the search, you would use the following command:
find . -path !/home/user/my_directory
Method 2: Using the -prune option
The -prune option tells the find command to stop searching a directory and its subdirectories. To exclude a directory, you can use the
-prune option with the -path option.
For example, to exclude the directory /home/user/my_directory from the search, you would use the following command:
find . -path /home/user/my_directory -prune
Here is a table that summarizes the differences between the -path and
-prune options:
Option
Description
-path
Only search for files and directories that match the specified path
-prune
Stop searching a directory and its subdirectories

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How do I exclude a directory when using `find`?

Utpal Vishwas

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Option	Description
`-path`	Only search for files and directories that match the specified path
`-prune`	Stop searching a directory and its subdirectories