How to find and list zero byte files in Windows and Linux

Ryan

6 years ago

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Today I was asked to write a simple batch script to locate all zero-byte files within a Windows Server machine.

The answer was definitely simple, thanks to the powerful FOR command available in cmd.exe:

Windows

forfiles /S /M *.* /C "cmd /c if @fsize EQU 0 (if @isdir EQU FALSE echo @path)" > list.txt

1	forfiles /S /M . /C "cmd /c if @fsize EQU 0 (if @isdir EQU FALSE echo @path)" > list.txt

This will create a list.txt file containing all the zero-byte files found within the current execution folder and all its subdirectories. If you want them on screen, simply remove the > list.txt at the end.

Linux

Since I made it for Windows, I thought it could do the same with Linux. Here's the one-liner:

find ./ -type f -size 0 > list.txt

1	find ./ -type f -size 0 > list.txt

Again, if you want them on screen, remove the > list.txt at the end.

That's about it!

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