GNOME Desktop file
File type: Various data file
A .mlocate file is a local file-index database associated with the GNOME Desktop on Linux systems.
It is used by the mlocate file-search utility to find files by name without scanning the entire file system each time.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: September 27, 2026
The file contains an index of file and directory names from one or more mounted file systems. The locate command reads this database to return matching paths quickly.
On Linux, the database is normally created or refreshed by the updatedb utility and used by mlocate-related search commands. It is system data rather than a document intended for direct editing, and it may be found on systems running the GNOME Desktop.
A .mlocate file is a database, not a document for a graphical application. On Linux, use the locate command to search the indexed file names, or use updatedb to rebuild the database.
Do not edit the file manually. If the database is missing or outdated, the system administrator can refresh it with the file-indexing utility provided by the Linux installation.
A .mlocate file cannot be meaningfully converted to a standard document format. Its contents are generated from the file system and are intended for use by locate-compatible search utilities.
To create a current database, rebuild it with updatedb rather than converting the existing file. When changing search utilities, follow the Linux distribution's instructions for generating the database format that utility requires.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving mlocate files:
Linux/Unix
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