When I'm looking at a folder on a share on my NAS and click on the "search current folder" icon, I get a message that the search will only run over that folder ("remote location - only searching in current folder") and effectively, nothing is found in subfolders. So how can I search in subfolders too?
Using perplexity A.I. search engine and using Ubuntu 24.04 in search criteria as that is what Zorin 18 is based on:
To search in subfolders on a NAS from Ubuntu 24.04, use either the Files app (Nautilus) or the terminal. Ubuntu’s file search works the same on a NAS mount as on any other folder once the share is mounted.
In Files (GUI)
Once your NAS share is mounted and visible in the Files app:
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Open the NAS folder you want to search in (e.g. your mounted share).
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Press Ctrl+F and start typing; this searches the current folder and all subfolders.
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In recent GNOME versions, you can also switch between “current location” and “Everywhere” using the search scope button near the top of the window.
In the terminal, searching by name
Assuming your NAS is mounted at /mnt/nas or similar, use find:
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Search for a file name pattern recursively:
find /mnt/nas -iname '*report*.pdf'
This walks all subfolders automatically becausefindis recursive by default. -
Limit to a specific subdirectory:
find /mnt/nas/projects -type f -iname '*budget*'
In the terminal, searching inside file contents
To search for text inside files on the NAS:
- Basic recursive text search with
grep:
grep -R "search text" /mnt/nas - For nicer output and ignoring binary files, install
ripgrepand use:
rg "search text" /mnt/nas
Notes for NAS mounts
- For SMB/NFS mounts, searching works normally but may be slower because data comes over the network.
​ - If search in Files does not seem to recurse, check you are in the correct folder and using Ctrl+F, which is the mode “current folder and subfolders” in recent GNOME Files.
click on the filter icon inside the search bar on the right. Select files. I think that will search all files recursively from the current folder down. I use Nemo so not completely sure but experiment with those options and you should get what you want.
In Nautilus' topbar click on the Hamburger menu, then select "Preferences". At tab "Performance" go to "Search in subfolders" and choose "All locations" there.
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That did it! Thanks!
I did see that option, but I thought it meant that search would then automatically search everywhere, not only from the selected folder down.
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