Start a Finder search. There are several ways to access Spotlight via the Finder. To quickly find any text string within any text file, try this from a terminal window: grep -l text to find files to look in For example, grep -l 123abc.html will list the name of any file in the current directory that ends in.html and contains the string 123abc. (That's a lower-case-L following the GREP) Quite powerful, and fairly fast. Using OS X's Finder, you can do some fancy-schmancy advanced searching, including finding system files for troubleshooting. No more rooting through folders when the results you want aren't. Merleau ponty philosophy. How to find files via the OS X Terminal. If you need to search for files in OS X, one option it is to use the OS X Terminal application and some of its services. Use Mac OS X Spotlight search to find missing files The first point of call for many people is to open Spotlight and look for the file: Press Command-Space to open Spotlight.
Sep 06, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
If you are relatively new to the macOS system, then chances are that you might encounter a similar situation as well. Although macOS is quite user-friendly, sometimes it can take a lot of time to find a file or locate a particular folder. Just like Windows or Linux, Mac also presents different ways to find files and browse its local storage system.
In this post, we will teach you how to find folders on Mac as well as recover any lost document on your Mac system as well.
Part 1. How to Find Hidden Files and Folders on Mac Hard Drive?
Ideally, you can browse the internal hard drive or Mac or even explore an external device well. The solution to find lost files on Mac would be the same for almost every major version. Though, there might be some change in the overall interface of the macOS. The following are some of the common techniques that you can follow to find any file on Mac.
1. Use Recent Items to Find Documents on Mac
If you wish to find some recently opened files or folders on Mac, then you can follow this simple approach. The macOS would maintain a record of the recently accessed documents, applications, and sometimes even system processes. Therefore, you can quickly learn how to find lost files on Mac with this approach.
- Just go to the Apple logo on the top left corner of the screen and click on the “Recent Items” option.
- This will give you a list of the recently accessed folders, apps, and documents. Just click on the icon of your choice to view the file or application.
- Additionally, you can also go to the File menu > Open Recent section to view the recently accessed files. You can clear the history from here or click on any file to access it once again.
2. Check the Downloads Folder to Find Files
Too often, Mac users download something from the internet and later realize that the downloaded document disappeared on Mac. If you also think that the Mac download folder is missing, then consider following these quick steps.
- To start with, go to the desktop on your Mac system and visit the “Go” section from the main menu. From here, you can visit the “Downloads” folder on Mac.
- Alternatively, you can also go to your Library and click on the “Downloads” section from the left panel.
- Once the Downloads folder on Mac has been opened, you can just look for any file of your choice. There is a search tab on the top that can help you do the same in less time. Simply click on it and type the name of the file you are looking for in the Downloads folder.
3. Check the Trash to Find Deleted Files
When we delete something on Mac, the file is not removed from the storage right away. On the contrary, it will be moved to the Trash, from where we can recover the deleted data if we want to. Therefore, if you can’t find lost documents or folders on Mac, then make sure that you check its Trash before taking any drastic measures.
- Firstly, you need to access the Trash folder on Mac. You can do this by clicking on the Trash icon on the dock.
- When the Trash folder would be opened, you can view all the deleted files that are stored on it temporarily.
- If you wish to recover a file, then select it, and right-click. Click on the “Put Back” option from the context menu to restore it to its original location.
4. Search the Spotlight to Find Files and Folders
Spotlight is probably one of the most resourceful features in macOS. Since Spotlight has been an evident feature in every major macOS, you won’t face the slightest of trouble in finding any file on your Mac system. The feature can be accessed from the desktop and will let you look for files, documents, internet searches, and so much more in one place. If you don’t know where to find documents on Mac, then simply follow this drill.
- To access Spotlight, go to your Mac’s desktop and click on the search icon on the top right corner of the screen. Here, type the name of any file or folder that you are looking for.
- In no time, the system will start looking for suitable content with respect to the searched keyword. Once you get the results, you can just hover the mouse on the icon to get its preview. Ideally, Mac will let you preview pictures, videos, audios, documents, etc.
- In order to access a file, simply click on it and it will be opened on your Mac system. If you want, you can click on the “Show All in Finder” option as well to view all the searched results together.
- This will display the relevant results in Finder so that you can find the suitable files and folders that you were looking for.
5. Use Terminal to Find Files and Folders on Mac
The terminal is one of the most useful utility tools in Mac that lets us send direct commands to our system. A lot of users are not able to find any file or folder on Mac which is hidden. In this case, you can take the assistance of Terminal to view the hidden files/folders first. Later, you can go to Finder on Mac to access the data of your choice.
- To begin with, you need to launch the Terminal app. Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Terminal app or look for it from the Spotlight.
- 2. Once Terminal is launched on your Mac, simply copy the following commands and press enter: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE killall Finder
- This will restart Finder and will display all the hidden files and folders on it as well. Now, you can just click on the search icon and enter the name of the files/folder you are looking for. This will let you find files and folders on Mac that are even hidden from the user.
If the content you are looking for is present on your Mac’s storage, then you would be able to find it by following the above-listed methods. These techniques will work even if the data has been hidden or deleted so that you can find any file on Mac seamlessly. Though, if your data is deleted or inaccessible, then consider following the next section to find lost files on Mac.
Part 2. How to Find Lost Files on Mac?
There are times when users end up losing their important data on Mac. While there could be different reasons behind it, you can easily find lost documents on Mac by using the right methods.
Why Files Get Lost?
Before we teach you how to find lost documents on Mac, it is important to know what could have caused the situation in the first place. Here are some of the major reasons for data loss on Mac.
- Sometimes, users end up deleting something accidentally, which gets lost.
- The change in location of the files can make them inaccessible at times.
- A virus or malware attack on the storage can make your files corrupt.
- Chances are that your data could be overwritten by something else.
- The data can be mishandled by a third-party application as well.
- The storage unit or partition can get corrupt or formatted.
- A firmware issue, corrupt update, or any other software-related problem
Recoverit Data Recovery: The Best Mac Lost Partition Recovery Software
No matter what could have caused your files to be lost on inaccessible, you can easily get them back using Recoverit Mac Data Recovery software. It is an extremely reliable and advanced data recovery tool that supports every leading Mac and Windows version. The application is developed by Wondershare and yields positive results in all kinds of data loss scenarios. Also, it is extremely easy to use and will not need any prior technical experience to find lost files on Mac through it.
If you have deleted a partition on Mac or have lost it due to any other reason, then you should use Recoverit Data Recovery. It can help you restore partition data on Mac by following these easy steps.
Step 1: Select a disk
To start with, just launch the Recoverit Data Recovery application on your Mac. Subsequently, the application will identify the inbuilt partitions on your Mac and will provide their list. You can just select a partition of your choice and start the recovery process.
Step 2: Scan the Location
In no time, Recoverit would try to access the lost content from the selected partition. Though, if the partition has been lost, then the quick scan might not yield the needed results. In this case, you can perform a Deep Scan on your Mac to scan the entire storage.
Since it might take a while, it is recommended to wait for the recovery process to be completed. Try not to restart your Mac or close the application when it is performing a deep scan.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
That’s it! Once the process is complete, the application will display the recovered data under various categories. You can view a section from the left panel and preview your data on the right.
In the end, you can select the files you wish to get back and click on the “Recover” button to save them to a secure location.
In some new macOS versions, third-party applications are not allowed to access the logical partition of the drive. To overcome this, you can reboot Mac in recovery mode and launch Terminal from the utility menu. Type “csrutil disable” and press enter to disable its System Integrity Protection. Once it is done, restart Mac in the normal mode and run Recoverit Data Recovery again.
Part 3. Tips for Finding Files on Mac
Macos Search
If you don’t want to lose your data and learn how to find files on Mac quickly, then consider following these expert suggestions:
- There are all kinds of keyboard shortcuts that you can use while browsing the file system on Mac. For instance, if you have been browsing a directory and would like to go back to the default folder, then press the Command + Shift + H keys. This will take you back to the home instantly.
- Finder in Mac also allows us to set some default folders so that we can access them easily. Just go to the Finder Preferences to set a default folder for quick access.
- The toolbar on Mac already provides a lot of options, but you can further customize it to make it easier for you to find files on Mac. Just go to View > Customize Toolbar and make the needed adjustments.
- You can easily look for a file through the “Search” bar on Finder. Also, you can sort the displayed data on the basis of different parameters (like size, last modified, etc.) to find files easily.
- Mac also lets us preview files before opening them in order to find the respective content. For instance, you can just select a file and click on the Quick Look button to get its preview in seconds.
There you go! After reading this guide, you would be able to find any file on Mac without much trouble. We have listed different inbuilt methods to find lost documents on Mac, recover hidden files, and even restore deleted data. If you can’t find lost files on Mac via Trash, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery. It is an advanced and user-friendly data recovery application that will help you get back all kinds of content lost on your Mac. Since the tool is available for free (basic version), you can simply download it on your Mac and use it as per your requirements.
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Macs are awesome, but macOS search isn’t always great. While the built-in search tools for Finder are powerful, they’re not immediately discoverable. Users can work on Macs for years without realizing how capable Finder’s search is beyond simple keyword search. Here’s how you can unlock the power of Finder and search for files on macOS more effective.
1. Use search operators
Search For Duplicate Files On Mac
Finder’s search box goes beyond simple keyword search. You can control what files appear with simple text operators and more flexible smart operators.
Text operators
The simplest but least powerful way to target your search is with textual operators. As when searching in Google with advanced options, these text cues refine and control your search behavior beyond keywords. The most common text operator, kind, is written like so:
The file type can be almost anything, from a word like “document” to an extension like .docx. It scans the text under the “Kind” title. If you’ve seen something there, you can use it as a keyword.
Similarly, you can use the date operator to limit your scope to files of a certain date or recency. Using date:today will only search for files from today.
The date operator use relative date operations, so yesterday also works.
You can further narrow your search by using the created and modified operators which accept an eight-digit date, like so. This will search for files from that date only, and none of the days around it. Unless you know exactly when you created the file, it’s not typically that useful.
Smart operators
Moving beyond text-based operators, smart operators allow you to search with preset system tools. Leica na 3003 level manual. These operators aren’t specified in the text box, but instead added to your keyword search after the face.
First, start a basic search in a Finder window by typing text in the search box. Then click on the “+” button below to add the first operator.
This button adds a new smart operator. By default, they add in a specific order, but can be modified by clicking the first drop down box. The first smart operator will automatically set a “Kind,” the next “Last Opened Date,” and so on.
For now, we’ll set the Kind to “PDF,” so we only see PDF files in our search. Of course, this will only include PDF files that match our search string. It will also search within documents by default.
Click the “+” button again to add another operator. This will reveal a different operator. By default, it will be “Last Opened Date.”
Let’s click the first drop down and select “Created date.” Now we can limit our search to files created in the last few days.
How To Search For Files On Mac
There are a number of other options that can be applied. Keep adding search operators, or adjusting the existing operators to refine your search.
Uncommon Search Operators
To expand your search even further, chose “Other…” in the first drop down to access a list of uncommon smart search operators.
If you want the search operators to appear in the drop down menu from now on, tick “In Menu” on the left-hand side. This allows you to adjust the drop down to include your most-accessed operators. You can also un-tick the default operators if you never use them.
If you want to add an operator to this search, click on the operator and click the “OK” button.
2. Search current folder
By default, Finder will search your entire system when you type in the search box. Set it to default to your current folder instead for more precise searches.
1. Open Finder’s preferences under the Finder menu.
2. Click on the “Advanced” tab.
3. Change the drop down box to “Search the Current Folder” to limit your searches.
3. Set tags and Spotlight comments on important documents
File names and contents aren’t always perfect. Often, you might search for a document later with different search terms that it contains.
Let’s say you’re trying to look at all your tax documentation from the last several years. You know it’s saved on your computer, but it’s in different folders and with different names. If you tag all those files with a certain tag, or include specific Spotlight comments in the file info, you can search them up easily in the future. This allows for flexible keywording of files on a selective basis.
You do need to put some work in beforehand for this to be useful. But if file management is important to you, it’s a relatively simple process.
Using Tags
Search For Files On Macbook
Tags can be customized in Finder’s Preferences window under the “Tags” tab. Right-click on a tag and choose “Rename tag…” to apply your own name.
Right-click on a file and choose the color tag to apply. Tags will always have their visual color (red, green) as a search term, as well as the title of the tag, if different. This enables you to search by color or tag name.
Spotlight Comments
If you want to get more invasive, you can set Spotlight Comments. They’re way more flexible than tags, but unless you know how to write a script to batch apply them, they’re far more time consuming.
On a given file, click “Get Info.”
Expand the “Comments” drop down if necessary.
Type your keywords into that box.
4. Save searches
Searches, especially smart searches, can take a little bit of effort to set up. If you frequently execute the same search, you can save it to the Sidebar of Finder. Simply clicking on the entry will recreate the search. This also has the effect of building a system-wide, always-updated “folder” of items matching your search terms.
First, build your search in Finder as normal. For the sake of example, we’ll use a simple text operator search. Then, click the “Save” button underneath the search window.
Give the search a name that’s descriptive enough to remember what it does. Leave the saved location the same. Most importantly, make sure that “Add to Sidebar” is checked.
5. Expand with other tools
These tips will help you improve your searching effectiveness while using Finder. If that’s not enough, other applications can expand your search prowess.
EasyFind is an older application, but it will search through every file on your system, including system files. Path Finder is a Finder-replacement utility that includes powerful search and filtering tools, which are much faster and more effective than the default Finder set. Alfred replaces spotlight, enabling powerful search directly from the task launcher, without touching your mouse.
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