# How to use the Linux xargs command

With Linux xargs you convert standard inputs into commands and use them directly. xargs is not used all that often in [Linux](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/linux-the-cost-effective-alternative-to-windows/), but it can greatly simplify processes.

## What is the Linux xargs command?

xargs (“extended arguments”) is one of the [Linux commands](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/linux-commands-an-overview-of-terminal-commands/) users rarely or never use. However, the command can greatly simplify working and may even help with your computing performance. Put simply, Linux xargs **connects two commands**, evaluating the output of one and applying the findings to the second. This is useful when processing a large number of files and performing certain tasks over and over again.

xargs is part of most [Linux distributions](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/linux-distributions/) such as [Debian](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/debian-the-universal-system-software/) or [Ubuntu](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/ubuntu-the-linux-system-for-everyone/), and doesn’t need to be installed.

## How does xargs work?

xargs reads data from stdin (i.e. standard input) and **converts it to command lines**. The corresponding command must be supplied to the command as a parameter or argument. The respective commands are then executed once or several times. If you do without a special command as parameter, xargs automatically uses the Linux echo command.

## What is the syntax of Linux xargs?

To use the xargs command in the terminal, use the following syntax:

```bash
$ First_command | xargs [Options] [Second_command]
```

This causes the second command to be executed with the arguments of the first one.

## Which options are available for the xargs command?

There are numerous options for using Linux xargs. These are the most important ones:

- **-0 or --null**: This option causes each character to be taken literally and arguments to be separated because of the NULL character.
- **-a or --arg-file**: With this option, arguments aren’t read from standard input, but from a file.
- **-d or --delimiter**: Separations are made with this option based on the separator character and not the space character. Each character is treated literally.
- **-p or --interactive**: This option queries whether to continue before executing each command.

## Examples for using Linux xargs

The functionality of the xargs command is best shown with some examples.

```bash
$ find -name "*.txt" | xargs rm
```

In this example, you apply xargs with the Linux find command and the Linux rm command. The result is that all files with the extension *.txt* are removed from the computer’s file system.

```bash
$ find -name "*.txt" | xargs grep "invoice"
```

Find all files containing the word “invoice”. For this, you can also use the Linux grep command.


This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/linux-xargs-command/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/linux-xargs-command/) for AI/LLM consumption.