Search names, contents, and locations

Find a file by name or contents

1. Open the folder you want to start from, then press Command-F for Search This Folder…. Use Find Files Everywhere… when your intended scope is the Mac rather than the current folder.
2. In Search Files, choose whether to search filenames or contents. A filename query and a text-content query answer different questions.
3. Set the scope to This Folder, This Mac, or another selected folder. Check the subfolder option when available; do not assume a folder search is recursive without checking it.
4. Enter a distinctive word. Wait for the current search to finish before selecting a result or changing files.
5. Read the result's location as well as its name. Use the available Open or Reveal action to inspect it in context before performing a move, delete, or rename.
6. If the results are too broad, narrow the location or query. If they are empty, check the mode and scope before concluding the file does not exist.

Use a filter for the current listing

Filter… narrows the displayed listing. It is not the same as searching another folder, searching file contents, or finding every matching file on the Mac. A forgotten filter can make an ordinary folder look incomplete.

1. Run Filter… from the command palette or View menu when you only want to narrow the current listing.
2. Enter a small part of an expected filename and confirm that the visible rows change.
3. Clear the filter before comparing the whole directory or diagnosing a missing file. Check Show Hidden Files separately for dotfiles.

Know what content search can find

Content search can read text files directly and use Spotlight for other documents. This Mac results and indexed document contents depend on Spotlight availability and coverage. Encrypted, unindexed, inaccessible, or online-only content may not be found.

Find in Files… is a separate text-search workflow with pattern and replacement options. Test the query first and back up files before using replacement; a broad replacement is a write operation, not ordinary search.

Semantic Search This Folder… ranks by meaning and is separate from exact name/content search. Use literal search for a specific filename, then semantic search when you remember the topic rather than the wording.