How to Find Files and Folders on a Mac Learn how to find files on Mac in this guide. We have come up with a stepwise solution for beginners to find any file or folder on Mac in a hassle-free manner. Let’s walk through some examples of how to use these to look for and match a variety of file types and file formats in Mac OS. As a quick reminder, you can open Spotlight search by hitting the Command+Spacebar key combo from anywhere in Mac OS and Mac OS X, and you can open a new Finder search with Command+F from anywhere in the Mac file system, desktop, or Finder. 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.
Just a few days ago, we reviewed some very useful basic tips for improving file searching on your Mac using the Finder. This time, we’ll take a look at more advanced file searching tips that will allow you to harness the real power of your Mac’s searching capabilities through filters and the many ways in which they can be used.
Let’s get started.
1. Adding Filters to Searches
We already showed you in the previous post how you can set the Finder to search only within the currently open window. This time, let’s take a look at how to use the powerful filters that the Finder supports.
Using Keywords for Searches
A lot of Mac users don’t know that Finder windows support keywords to define the target of searches. For example, in the search box of any open Finder window, you can use keywords such as kind:, to:, date:, from: and more. Used before your search term, these keywords filter your content with great accuracy.
Using Advanced Filters in Finder Windows
If the filter keywords mentioned above are not enough for you, there are more advanced filter that you can access by clicking on the Options icon and selecting the Show Search Criteria option.
This will open a far more detailed filter menu where you can pinpoint exactly which kind of file or document you are targeting your search for. This is thanks to the different filter levels that the option provides, allowing you to add as many as you need.
2. Saving and Creating Shortcuts of Your Searches
If you happen to search for any particular kind of file or document often, you can use the advanced search filters mentioned above to have your favorite searches at hand and thus avoid having to sort all those files manually in specific folders.
To do this, first you have to perform an advanced Finder search as shown above. Contrary to Spotlight searches, I find the ones performed using the Finder’s advanced filters far more accurate, but even more importantly, they allow you to save them.
Once you create a search you are happy with, look for the Save button and click on it. This will save your advanced search as a Smart folder.
On the dialog box that pops up, name your new search, select the location where you want it saved and also make sure to check the Add to Sidebar option.
From then onwards, your search will be accessible right from any Finder window with just one click. Even better, since these are smart folders, you can tailor your search to be dynamic, which will allow it to be always up to date with the files or documents you are interested in. For example, you could have it display only Word documents edited in the last week. Very powerful and convenient if you ask me.
Additionally, by right-clicking on that search on the sidebar of any Finder window, you can also place it on the Dock of your Mac, edit it and even rename it, making it all that more flexible.
There you go, now you have all you need to always find any file or document on your Mac, and it’s all just a few clicks away.
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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?
Mac Search File Name
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
If you don't want to lose your data and learn how to find files on Mac quickly, then consider following these expert suggestions:
Mac Search For File Name
- 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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