# phpman > man > git-grep(1) > **TLDR:** Find strings inside tracked files in a repository. > - Search for a string in files in the current `HEAD`: `git grep "{{search_string}}"` - Search for a string in files matching a glob pattern in the current `HEAD`: `git grep "{{search_string}}" -- "{{*.ext}}"` - Search for a string, including submodules: `git grep --recurse-submodules "{{search_string}}"` - Search for a string at a specific point in history: `git grep "{{search_string}}" {{HEAD~2}}` - Search for a string across all branches and all of history: `git grep "{{search_string}}" $(git rev-list --all)` *Source: tldr-pages* --- [GIT-GREP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/GIT-GREP/1/markdown) Git Manual [GIT-GREP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/GIT-GREP/1/markdown) ## NAME git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern ## SYNOPSIS _git_ _grep_ [-a | --text] [-I] [--textconv] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp] [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name] [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp] [-P | --perl-regexp] [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n | --line-number] [--column] [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match] [(-O | --open-files-in-pager) []] [-z | --null] [ -o | --only-matching ] [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet] [--max-depth ] [--[no-]recursive] [--color[=] | --no-color] [--break] [--heading] [-p | --show-function] [-A ] [-B ] [-C ] [-W | --function-context] [--threads ] [-f ] [-e] [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e ...] [--recurse-submodules] [--parent-basename ] [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | ...] [--] [...] ## DESCRIPTION Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects. Patterns are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline characters. An empty string as search expression matches all lines. ## OPTIONS ### --cached Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search blobs registered in the index file. ### --no-index Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git. ### --untracked In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working tree, search also in untracked files. ### --no-exclude-standard Also search in ignored files by not honoring the **.gitignore** mechanism. Only useful with **--untracked**. ### --exclude-standard Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the **.gitignore** mechanism. Only useful when searching files in the current directory with **--no-index**. ### --recurse-submodules Recursively search in each submodule that is active and checked out in the repository. When used in combination with the option the prefix of all submodule output will be the name of the parent project’s object. This option has no effect if **--no-index** is given. ### -a, --text Process binary files as if they were text. ### --textconv Honor textconv filter settings. ### --no-textconv Do not honor textconv filter settings. This is the default. ### -i, --ignore-case Ignore case differences between the patterns and the files. ### -I Don’t match the pattern in binary files. ### --max-depth For each given on command line, descend at most levels of directories. A value of -1 means no limit. This option is ignored if contains active wildcards. In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*", "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective. ### -r, --recursive Same as **--max-depth=-1**; this is the default. ### --no-recursive Same as **--max-depth=0**. ### -w, --word-regexp Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at the end of a line or followed by a non-word character). ### -v, --invert-match Select non-matching lines. ### -h, -H By default, the command shows the filename for each match. **-h** option is used to suppress this output. **-H** is there for completeness and does not do anything except it overrides **-h** given earlier on the command line. ### --full-name When run from a subdirectory, the command usually outputs paths relative to the current directory. This option forces paths to be output relative to the project top directory. ### -E, --extended-regexp, -G, --basic-regexp Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns. Default is to use basic regexp. ### -P, --perl-regexp Use Perl-compatible regular expressions for patterns. Support for these types of regular expressions is an optional compile-time dependency. If Git wasn’t compiled with support for them providing this option will cause it to die. ### -F, --fixed-strings Use fixed strings for patterns (don’t interpret pattern as a regex). ### -n, --line-number Prefix the line number to matching lines. ### --column Prefix the 1-indexed byte-offset of the first match from the start of the matching line. ### -l, --files-with-matches, --name-only, -L, --files-without-match Instead of showing every matched line, show only the names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches. For better compatibility with _git_ _diff_, **--name-only** is a synonym for **--files-with-matches**. -O[], --open-files-in-pager[=] Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of _grep_). If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at the first match automatically. The **pager** argument is optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option without a space. If **pager** is unspecified, the default pager will be used (see **core.pager** in [**git-config**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/git-config/1/markdown)). ### -z, --null Use \0 as the delimiter for pathnames in the output, and print them verbatim. Without this option, pathnames with "unusual" characters are quoted as explained for the configuration variable core.quotePath (see [**git-config**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/git-config/1/markdown)). ### -o, --only-matching Print only the matched (non-empty) parts of a matching line, with each such part on a separate output line. ### -c, --count Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of lines that match. --color[=] Show colored matches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto. ### --no-color Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file gives the default to color output. Same as **--color=never**. ### --break Print an empty line between matches from different files. ### --heading Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of at the start of each shown line. ### -p, --show-function Show the preceding line that contains the function name of the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself. The name is determined in the same way as **git** **diff** works out patch hunk headers (see _Defining_ _a_ _custom_ _hunk-header_ in [**gitattributes**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/gitattributes/5/markdown)). -, -C , --context Show leading and trailing lines, and place a line containing **--** between contiguous groups of matches. ### -A , --after-context Show trailing lines, and place a line containing **--** between contiguous groups of matches. ### -B , --before-context Show leading lines, and place a line containing **--** between contiguous groups of matches. ### -W, --function-context Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a function name up to the one before the next function name, effectively showing the whole function in which the match was found. The function names are determined in the same way as **git** **diff** works out patch hunk headers (see _Defining_ _a_ _custom_ _hunk-header_ in [**gitattributes**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/gitattributes/5/markdown)). ### --threads Number of grep worker threads to use. See **grep.threads** in _CONFIGURATION_ for more information. ### -f Read patterns from , one per line. Passing the pattern via allows for providing a search pattern containing a \0. Not all pattern types support patterns containing \0. Git will error out if a given pattern type can’t support such a pattern. The **--perl-regexp** pattern type when compiled against the PCRE v2 backend has the widest support for these types of patterns. In versions of Git before 2.23.0 patterns containing \0 would be silently considered fixed. This was never documented, there were also odd and undocumented interactions between e.g. non-ASCII patterns containing \0 and **--ignore-case**. In future versions we may learn to support patterns containing \0 for more search backends, until then we’ll die when the pattern type in question doesn’t support them. ### -e The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be used for patterns starting with **-** and should be used in scripts passing user input to grep. Multiple patterns are combined by _or_. --and, --or, --not, ( ... ) Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean expressions. **--or** is the default operator. **--and** has higher precedence than **--or**. **-e** has to be used for all patterns. ### --all-match When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with **--or**, this flag is specified to limit the match to files that have lines to match all of them. ### -q, --quiet Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn’t. ... Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search blobs in the given trees. -- Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters are limiters. ... If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern. Both leading paths match and [glob(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/glob/7/markdown) patterns are supported. For more details about the syntax, see the _pathspec_ entry in [**gitglossary**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/gitglossary/7/markdown). ## EXAMPLES **git** **grep** **'time**___**t'** **--** **'*.[ch]'** Looks for **time**___**t** in all tracked .c and .h files in the working directory and its subdirectories. **git** **grep** **-e** **'#define'** **--and** **\(** **-e** **MAX**___**PATH** **-e** **PATH**___**MAX** **\)** Looks for a line that has **#define** and either **MAX**___**PATH** or **PATH**___**MAX**. ### git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected Looks for a line that has **NODE** or **Unexpected** in files that have lines that match both. ### git grep solution -- :^Documentation Looks for **solution**, excluding files in **Documentation**. ## NOTES ON THREADS The **--threads** option (and the grep.threads configuration) will be ignored when **--open-files-in-pager** is used, forcing a single-threaded execution. When grepping the object store (with **--cached** or giving tree objects), running with multiple threads might perform slower than single threaded if **--textconv** is given and there’re too many text conversions. So if you experience low performance in this case, it might be desirable to use **--threads=1**. ## CONFIGURATION grep.lineNumber If set to true, enable **-n** option by default. grep.column If set to true, enable the **--column** option by default. grep.patternType Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of _basic_, _extended_, _fixed_, or _perl_ will enable the **--basic-regexp**, **--extended-regexp**, **--fixed-strings**, or **--perl-regexp** option accordingly, while the value _default_ will return to the default matching behavior. grep.extendedRegexp If set to true, enable **--extended-regexp** option by default. This option is ignored when the **grep.patternType** option is set to a value other than _default_. grep.threads Number of grep worker threads to use. If unset (or set to 0), Git will use as many threads as the number of logical cores available. grep.fullName If set to true, enable **--full-name** option by default. grep.fallbackToNoIndex If set to true, fall back to git grep --no-index if git grep is executed outside of a git repository. Defaults to false. ## GIT Part of the [**git**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/git/1/markdown) suite Git 2.34.1 02/26/2026 [GIT-GREP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/GIT-GREP/1/markdown)