strings

Extract printable text from binary files

TLDR

Find printable strings in a file

$ strings [file]

Find strings of minimum length

$ strings -n [10] [file]

Print filename with each string

$ strings -f [file1] [file2]

Print offset of each string

$ strings -t d [file]

Print offset in hexadecimal

$ strings -t x [file]

Search entire file (not just data sections)

$ strings -a [file]

Search for specific encoding

$ strings -e l [file]

Scan multiple files

$ strings [*.bin]

strings finds and prints sequences of printable characters in files, typically binary files. By default, it looks for sequences of at least 4 printable characters followed by an unprintable character.The tool is commonly used to examine binaries, extract text from executables, find embedded messages, and perform basic forensic analysis. It can reveal version strings, error messages, and other embedded text.strings ignores the structure of the file and simply scans for character sequences, making it useful when file format isn't known or important.

PARAMETERS

-a, --all

Scan entire file, not just data sections.

-f, --print-file-name

Print filename before each string.

-n min, --bytes= min

Minimum string length (default 4).

-t format, --radix= format

Print offset (o=octal, d=decimal, x=hex).

-e encoding

Character encoding (s=7-bit, S=8-bit, b/l=16-bit, B/L=32-bit).

-o

Print offset in octal (like -t o).

-T bfdname, --target= bfdname

Specify binary format.

INSTALL

sudo apt install binutils

sudo dnf install binutils

sudo pacman -S binutils

sudo apk add binutils

sudo zypper install binutils

brew install binutils

nix profile install nixpkgs#binutils

CAVEATS

Results include any character sequences, not necessarily meaningful text. False positives are common in binary data. Cannot determine context or purpose of found strings. Some strings may be partial or misleading.

HISTORY

strings has been part of Unix since early versions, originating in Version 6 Unix at Bell Labs in the 1970s. The GNU version is part of binutils. The tool remains essential for binary analysis and is commonly used in security research and reverse engineering.