Did you know that every time you perform a search via the Finder, youβre using the Spotlight search index?
By default, the results of a Finder search will be exactly the same as the results of a Spotlight search. However, thereβs a number of ways that you can customise a Finder search, that simply arenβt possible with a Spotlight search.
Step aside Spotlight! In this article, Iβll show you how to build complex, customised searches, using the humble Finder search bar.
Restrict your search to the current folder
By default, every time you perform a Spotlight search, youβre searching your entire Mac. This is perfect if you have absolutely no idea where an item is located, but a search that encompasses your entire filesystem is always going to take longer than a focused search. If you have a rough idea where an item is located, then searching your entire Mac is unnecessary β and a complete waste of time.
One time-saving alternative, is to restrict your searches to the current folder only. For example, if you want to launch an application, then it makes sense to restrict your search to the βApplicationsβ folder, and if you want to browse the PDF you just downloaded, then chances are that PDF is located in your βDownloadsβ folder. In both of these scenarios, you should be able to get your results much faster, by navigating to the folder in question and then searching the current folder only.
To instruct Finder to limit its searches to the current folder:
- Launch the Finder application.
- In the menu bar, select βFinder > Preferencesβ¦β
- Select the βAdvancedβ tab.
- Open the βWhen performing a searchβ dropdown, and choose βSearch the Current Folder.β
- Close the βPreferencesβ window.
If you change your mind and want Finder to resume searching your entire Mac, then simply repeat the above steps, but this time select βSearch This Macβ from the dropdown menu.
Restore your Macβs missing βSearch Forβ feature
In macOS Lion, Apple removed the βSearch Forβ feature from Finder. By default, itβs no longer possible to restrict your Finder searches to items that you accessed recently (Today, Yesterday, Past Week) or items of a certain type (Images, Movies, or Documents).
βSearch Forβ may no longer be available as part of macOS, but it is possible to create a similar effect, using Smart Folders.
Letβs create a Smart Folder thatβll help us restrict our searches to items that we accessed today:
- Launch the Finder application.
- Select βFile > New Smart Folderβ from the menu bar. A new window will open.
- Click the little β+β button to add a new set of search criteria.
- Open the first dropdown menu and choose βLast opened date.β
- Open the second dropdown menu and choose βtoday.β The window should now update to show all the applications, files and folders that you opened today.
- Click the βSaveβ button.
- In the subsequent popup, give this Smart Folder a descriptive name, such as βToday.β
- Make sure the βAdd To Sidebarβ checkbox is selected, and then click βSave.β
Now, you can view all the items you accessed today, simply by selecting βTodayβ from the Finder sidebar.
If youβve followed our advice and configured Finder to restrict its searches to the current folder, then you can easily restrict a search to just the items that you accessed within the past 24 hours:
- Select βTodayβ from the Finder sidebar.
- Enter your search criteria, as normal.
To recreate the rest of the βSearch Forβ items, simply repeat the above steps, but when building your Smart Folder search criteria, select the following options:
Yesterday
- Last opened date.
- Yesterday.
Past Week
- Last opened date.
- Within last.
- 7 days.
All Images
- Kind.
- Image.
All Movies
- Kind.
- Movie.
All Documents
- Kind.
- Document.
Show Spotlight search results in the Finder
Sometimes, a simple Spotlight search can return a tonne of results. Scrolling through a long list of items in Spotlight isnβt the easiest thing in the world, so in this scenario you might prefer to transfer your search results to the Finder, so you have more room to explore them properly:
- Scroll to the very bottom of the Spotlight search pane.
- Find the βShow all in Finderβ¦β item, and give it a click.
A new Finder window should open and display all of your Spotlight search results.
Before you go
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