back to the strings tool

strings:tldr:ef9de

strings: Print all strings in a binary.

strings

$ strings ${filename}

try on your machine

The command "strings ${filename}" is used to extract readable text from a binary file.

Here's how it works:

The ${filename} represents the name of the file you want to extract readable text from. This could be a binary file, such as an executable, library file, or any other file that contains text embedded within it.
When you run the command "strings ${filename}", the operating system scans the specified file and looks for sequences of printable characters or strings. It ignores non-printable characters or binary data.
The command then extracts and prints all the identified strings found in the file, one string per line. These strings can be anything from plain text, function names, error messages, debug information, or other useful information contained within the file.

The "strings" command is often used for various purposes, such as analyzing binaries, reverse engineering, debugging, or extracting specific information from files.

This explanation was created by an AI. In most cases those are correct. But please always be careful and never run a command you are not sure if it is safe.

back to the strings tool