strings(1)

NAME

   strings - print the strings of printable characters in files.

SYNOPSIS

   strings [-afovV] [-min-len]
           [-n min-len] [--bytes=min-len]
           [-t radix] [--radix=radix]
           [-e encoding] [--encoding=encoding]
           [-] [--all] [--print-file-name]
           [-T bfdname] [--target=bfdname]
           [-w] [--include-all-whitespace]
           [-s] [--output-separatorsep_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 in 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 characters that are at least min-len characters
       long, instead of the default 4.

   -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
       (ASCII, ISO 8859, etc., 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).

   -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) 1991-2016 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".

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