Guides / Finding files

How to find files on Mac

macOS gives you three built-in ways to search: Spotlight, Finder and the Terminal. Each one is good at something different. Here is when to use which, and what to do when none of them finds the file.

Works on macOS 15 and later. Updated October 2026.

1. Spotlight: the quick look-up

  1. Press ⌘ Space, or click the magnifying glass in the menu bar.
  2. Type part of the file name or a word inside the file.
  3. Press Return to open the top hit, or ⌘ Return to show it in Finder.

Spotlight also searches file contents, apps and settings. It only shows a handful of files, though, and leaves out folders it does not index: hidden files, system folders, some external and network drives, and anything listed under Spotlight's privacy settings.

2. Finder search: filters and saved searches

  1. Open a Finder window and press ⌘ F.
  2. Choose This Mac or the current folder at the top.
  3. Type a name, then click + to add filters such as Kind, Last modified date or File Size (choose Other… for more).
  4. Click Save to keep the search as a Smart Folder in the sidebar.

To search only file names, type the name and choose Name matches: … from the suggestions instead of pressing Return.

3. Go to Folder: when you know the path

Press ⌘ ⇧ G in Finder and type a path such as ~/Library/Application Support. Press Tab to complete folder names as you type.

4. Terminal: mdfind and find

mdfind asks the Spotlight index, so it is fast but sees only what Spotlight sees:

mdfind -name report                    # name contains "report"
mdfind -onlyin ~/Projects "TODO"      # files mentioning TODO
mdfind "kMDItemFSName == '*.pdf'"      # all PDFs

find walks the folders itself, so it sees everything but gets slow on a big disk:

find ~ -iname "*report*" 2>/dev/null
find ~/Downloads -name "*.dmg" -mtime -7   # changed in the last 7 days

Which one to use

You want toUse
Open a file you used recentlySpotlight, or Finder › Recents
Find files by type, date or sizeFinder search with filters
Find a word inside documentsSpotlight or mdfind
Search folders Spotlight skipsfind in the Terminal
Search every file by name, instantlyA file name index such as Everything Locator

The fast way: search by name as you type

If you mostly know the file's name, a dedicated name index beats all of the above. Everything Locator indexes the folders you choose, hidden files and iCloud Drive included, and shows matches on every keystroke. It uses the search syntax of Everything for Windows:

SearchFinds
invoice 2026names containing both words
*.pdf dm:thisweekPDFs changed this week
contract|agreement !drafteither word, without "draft"
~/Projects/ .swiftSwift files under ~/Projects
ext:jpg;heic size:>5mblarge photos

Find any file as fast as you can type

Everything Locator searches your whole Mac by name, including hidden files, iCloud Drive and OneDrive.

Mac App Store