NAME

       strings - print the sequences of printable characters in files

SYNOPSIS

       strings [-afovV] [-min-len]
               [-n min-len] [--bytes=min-len]
               [-t radix] [--radix=radix]
               [-e encoding] [--encoding=encoding]
               [-U method] [--unicode=method]
               [-] [--all] [--print-file-name]
               [-T bfdname] [--target=bfdname]
               [-w] [--include-all-whitespace]
               [-s] [--output-separator sep_string]
               [--help] [--version] file...

DESCRIPTION

       For each file given, GNU strings prints the printable character sequences that are at least 4 characters
       long (or the number given with the options below) and are followed by an unprintable character.

       Depending upon how the strings program was configured it will default to either displaying all the
       printable sequences that it can find in each file, or only those sequences that are in loadable,
       initialized data sections.  If the file type is unrecognizable, or if strings is reading from stdin then
       it will always display all of the printable sequences that it can find.

       For backwards compatibility any file that occurs after a command-line option of just - will also be
       scanned in full, regardless of the presence of any -d option.

       strings is mainly useful for determining the contents of non-text files.

OPTIONS

       -a
       --all
       -   Scan  the whole file, regardless of what sections it contains or whether those sections are loaded or
           initialized.  Normally this is the default behaviour, but strings can be configured so that the -d is
           the default instead.

           The - option is position dependent and forces strings to perform full  scans  of  any  file  that  is
           mentioned after the - on the command line, even if the -d option has been specified.

       -d
       --data
           Only print strings from initialized, loaded data sections in the file.  This may reduce the amount of
           garbage  in  the  output,  but  it also exposes the strings program to any security flaws that may be
           present in the BFD library used to scan and load sections.  Strings can be configured  so  that  this
           option  is  the  default  behaviour.   In such cases the -a option can be used to avoid using the BFD
           library and instead just print all of the strings found in the file.

       -f
       --print-file-name
           Print the name of the file before each string.

       --help
           Print a summary of the program usage on the standard output and exit.

       -min-len
       -n min-len
       --bytes=min-len
           Print sequences of displayable characters  that  are  at  least  min-len  characters  long.   If  not
           specified  a  default  minimum  length  of  4  is used.  The distinction between displayable and non-
           displayable characters depends upon the setting of the -e  and  -U  options.   Sequences  are  always
           terminated at control characters such as new-line and carriage-return, but not the tab character.

       -o  Like  -t  o.   Some  other  versions  of  strings have -o act like -t d instead.  Since we can not be
           compatible with both ways, we simply chose one.

       -t radix
       --radix=radix
           Print the offset within the file before each string.  The single  character  argument  specifies  the
           radix of the offset---o for octal, x for hexadecimal, or d for decimal.

       -e encoding
       --encoding=encoding
           Select the character encoding of the strings that are to be found.  Possible values for encoding are:
           s = single-7-bit-byte characters (default), S = single-8-bit-byte characters, b = 16-bit bigendian, l
           =  16-bit  littleendian,  B  =  32-bit  bigendian,  L = 32-bit littleendian.  Useful for finding wide
           character strings. (l and b apply to, for example, Unicode UTF-16/UCS-2 encodings).

       -U [d|i|l|e|x|h]
       --unicode=[default|invalid|locale|escape|hex|highlight]
           Controls  the  display  of  UTF-8   encoded   multibyte   characters   in   strings.    The   default
           (--unicode=default)  is  to  give them no special treatment, and instead rely upon the setting of the
           --encoding option.  The other values for this option automatically enable --encoding=S.

           The --unicode=invalid option treats them as non-graphic characters and hence  not  part  of  a  valid
           string.  All the remaining options treat them as valid string characters.

           The  --unicode=locale  option displays them in the current locale, which may or may not support UTF-8
           encoding.  The --unicode=hex  option  displays  them  as  hex  byte  sequences  enclosed  between  <>
           characters.   The  --unicode=escape  option  displays  them  as  escape  sequences  (\uxxxx)  and the
           --unicode=highlight option displays them as escape sequences highlighted in red (if supported by  the
           output  device).   The  colouring  is intended to draw attention to the presence of unicode sequences
           where they might not be expected.

       -T bfdname
       --target=bfdname
           Specify an object code format other than your system's default format.

       -v
       -V
       --version
           Print the program version number on the standard output and exit.

       -w
       --include-all-whitespace
           By default tab and space characters are included  in  the  strings  that  are  displayed,  but  other
           whitespace  characters, such a newlines and carriage returns, are not.  The -w option changes this so
           that all whitespace characters are considered to be part of a string.

       -s
       --output-separator
           By default, output strings are delimited by a new-line. This option allows you to supply  any  string
           to  be  used  as the output record separator.  Useful with --include-all-whitespace where strings may
           contain new-lines internally.

       @file
           Read command-line options from file.  The options read are inserted in place of  the  original  @file
           option.   If  file  does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will be treated literally, and
           not removed.

           Options in file are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace character may be included in an option  by
           surrounding  the  entire  option  in  either  single  or  double  quotes.  Any character (including a
           backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be included with a backslash.  The file  may
           itself contain additional @file options; any such options will be processed recursively.

SEE ALSO

       ar(1), nm(1), objdump(1), ranlib(1), readelf(1) and the Info entries for binutils.

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (c) 1991-2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission  is  granted  to  copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free
       Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software  Foundation;  with
       no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is
       included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

binutils-2.42                                      2025-03-10                                         STRINGS(1)