How to List Folders Containing Specific Extensions on Mac (Only Once)

Beginner-friendly guide on how to list folders containing specific extensions (like .mkv) in Mac’s Terminal without duplicates. Includes BSD-compatible commands.

Completed High

Start: August 18, 2025
End: August 18, 2025
Period: 1Days
Last Updated: August 18, 2025
Tags: mac linux

Have you ever wanted to list only the folders that contain files with a specific extension (for example, .mkv) on your Mac?

With a UNIX-based shell, you can easily achieve this using the find command. However, note that macOS and Linux have slightly different command options, so here we’ll explain the correct syntax for macOS as well.

✅ Goal

List folder names that contain .mkv files, only once (no duplicates).

🔧 Basic Command (Linux / GNU find)

find . -type f -name "*.mkv" -printf '%h\n' | sort -u

Explanation

Part	Description
`find .`	Search under the current directory (`.`)
`-type f`	Target only files (ignore directories)
`-name "*.mkv"`	Find files with the `.mkv` extension
`-printf '%h\n'`	Print the parent directory (folder)
`sort -u`	Sort results and remove duplicates

🔸 This works for GNU find (Linux, etc.). macOS find does not support -printf.

🍎 For macOS Users: Correct BSD `find` Syntax

On macOS, replace -printf with -exec dirname {} \;.

find . -type f -name "*.mkv" -exec dirname {} \; | sort -u

Notes

-exec dirname {} \;: Runs dirname for each .mkv file found, outputting the parent folder.
sort -u: Removes duplicates, giving you a unique list of folders.

▶ Example Output

./Movies
./Downloads/Anime
./ExternalDrive/Series

This way, you can list all folders containing .mkv files.

🧠 Show Only Folder Names (Without Paths)

If you want just the folder names (no path), use xargs and basename.

find . -type f -name "*.mkv" -exec dirname {} \; | sort -u | xargs -n1 basename

Example Result:

Movies
Anime
Series

🔸 Recommended if you only want the folder names themselves.

🎯 Summary: Choose Based on Your Needs

Desired Output	Command Example
Folders with relative/full paths	`find . -type f -name “*.mkv” -exec dirname {} ;	sort -u`
Folder names only	`find . …	sort -u	xargs -n1 basename`

📌 Extra: If `-printf` Works on Linux…

If you’re on Linux or installed GNU find on macOS via Homebrew, you can use -printf '%h\n', which is slightly faster.

💡 Pro Tips for `find`

Change the extension to .mp4 or .avi to search other video formats.
For multiple extensions, use -o (OR), e.g.:
```
-name "*.mkv" -o -name "*.mp4"
```
Since find searches deeply, it may take time in very large directories.

With Terminal on macOS, file searches and organization become much more efficient. Even if you’re new to the command line, give it a try—you’ll find it surprisingly powerful!