macOS offers several ways to search: Finder, Spotlight, the command line, and tools that build their own index. The useful skill is knowing which index handles which query.
Finder search
Press ⌘F in a Finder window or click the search field. Finder's search scope is configurable and defaults to This Mac; narrow it to the current folder in the scope bar, or change the default in Finder → Settings → Advanced. Results can be previewed and opened without leaving the file manager.
Refine with suggestions or the + button (kind, date modified, name). Filename and content results generally depend on Spotlight's index. Content matches need an importer, so a scanned PDF may appear by name but not by its words. Folders in Spotlight's privacy list are skipped by This Mac search too.
Best when you know roughly where the file lives and want to narrow results, or confirm with Quick Look.
Spotlight (⌘Space)
Spotlight is the system index, and ⌘Space opens it. Apps, filenames, metadata, Mail, Calendar, Notes, document text, settings, and actions share one index. When you remember a phrase but not the file, Spotlight is usually right.
The system maintains it; importers and exclusion rules decide what enters. Adjust categories and privacy under System Settings → Spotlight, and use mdutil when the index misbehaves. Spotlight also has a CLI: mdfind queries the same index and is subject to the same importers and exclusions. If a UI search misses, check its category, then exclusions and index status; see Spotlight not finding files.
Terminal: mdfind and find
mdfind queries Spotlight's index for indexed filenames, metadata, and content. find ignores the index and walks a path, which suits Spotlight-excluded folders or locations outside the index.
mdfind -name "report"
mdfind -onlyin ~/Documents "budget"
mdfind "kMDItemFSName == '*.pdf'c"
find ~/Projects -type f -name "*.ts"-name limits mdfind to filenames, -onlyin scopes it to a directory, predicate syntax combines metadata conditions, and a trailing c makes it case-insensitive. With find, -name is case-sensitive and -iname is not; -type f returns regular files. find descends into .git, node_modules, and hidden directories by default, so large trees can be slow; use -prune.
mdfind only returns what the index knows: fast, never more complete. find is thorough but touches the disk each time. Both compose with xargs or loops.
macEverything
macEverything is a filename search tool for macOS. On first launch it indexes your home folder and /Applications, matching filenames only. It excludes ~/Library, node_modules, and .git by default: caches, dependencies, and version history would flood results.
The index stays local; queries never leave your Mac, and FSEvents drives incremental updates. ⌥Space opens a floating search bar—type, choose with arrows, press Return. ⌥⇧F opens the results window for sorting, multi-select, Space for Quick Look, and right-click copy of the file, path, or file name. The bundled CLI reads the same index:
macEverything query "invoice"
macEverything statusFull Disk Access is optional. Without it, the status bar shows a gap count; open it to see missed folders rather than losing them silently. After granting access, restart the engine (macEverything stop && macEverything start); reopening the app is not enough. The CLI must be on your PATH, or use Contents/MacOS/macEverything.
Limits: no external or network drives; no regular expressions; it supports only wildcard, path, and whole-word filters. Full index scope: Everything for Mac.
On an Apple M5 test set of about 1.28 million entries, the first scan of one million files takes 1.0–1.6 seconds, P99 latency is 2.9–3.6 ms, and changes are searchable within 0.3 seconds; the UI keeps about 136 MB of memory resident.
It complements Spotlight: Spotlight searches content, Mail, and system actions; macEverything answers one question—I know the filename, where is it?
Comparison table
The main differences are index source and search target.
| Method | Scope | Speed | Syntax | Exclusions | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finder | This Mac (narrowable to the current folder); content needs Spotlight metadata | Indexed results quick; unindexed locations slower or incomplete | Keywords plus suggestions and filters | Follows Spotlight privacy; protected locations may be unreadable | Local queries, system Spotlight index |
| Spotlight | Indexed local volumes; filenames, metadata, Mail, Calendar, Notes, supported text | Indexed items usually return instantly; content depends on importers | Keywords and category filters; mdfind for predicates | Spotlight privacy, .noindex, .metadata_never_index, unindexed or disabled volumes | Local index; Spotlight Suggestions may send queries to Apple if enabled |
| mdfind / find | mdfind queries the system index; find walks any readable path | mdfind is fast on indexed data; find depends on tree size | CLI; mdfind supports -name, -onlyin, predicates; find expressions | mdfind honors Spotlight rules; find has none by default and enters node_modules/.git | Local execution; mdfind reads the system index |
| macEverything | Home and /Applications; filenames only; no external/network drives | M5, 1.28M entries: first scan 1.0–1.6 s, P99 2.9–3.6 ms, changes searchable in 0.3 s | Wildcard, path, and whole-word filters; no regular expressions | ~/Library, node_modules, .git; fixed scope | Local index; queries stay offline |
Choose by workflow
Locating a file. If it is in the current project, narrowing Finder to the folder wins. If you know the name but not the location, use macEverything via ⌥Space. If it may sit outside your home folder or /Applications—outside macEverything's index scope—use Spotlight or find.
Finding content. Use Spotlight for a remembered phrase, topic, or email; mdfind when results feed a script. Finder's content search works too but depends on index quality.
Automation. mdfind fits data the system index covers and prints one path per line. find gives deterministic traversal unaffected by Spotlight exclusions, at the cost of speed. macEverything query reads the local filename index.
Spotlight-excluded folders. Neither mdfind nor the Spotlight UI enters them. Use find if you have read permission, or browse in Finder. macEverything covers only home and /Applications, with exclusions—not a general indexer.
Quick start
Download the DMG (6.9 MB) and drag macEverything into Applications. It requires macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon. The first launch indexes in the background. ⌥Space opens the floating bar; ⌥⇧F opens the results window. The index stays on your Mac.