Even if you are an experienced user, finding important documents on a Mac can sometimes be difficult. However, with the help of Finder and the Spotlight tool, you can search, open and modify any files on a macOS. So, here in this guide, we aim to help you bring your files to the light in an easy-to-understand fashion. Now, let’s cut straight to the chase.
How to Find a File on Mac?
The methods listed below can help you find any type of file on Mac, no matter if it’s a new one or age-old. These are so simple that we assure you won’t have to follow a guide the next time you have to find your files on a Mac. So,
Using Finder
Like the Windows file explorer, a Mac’s Finder is responsible for storing and managing all files on your computer. So naturally, one can expect to find their files via the Finder. Here, you can either look for your document by visiting each folder on the finder, or you can search the required file directly from the search bar. To do this,
Using Spotlight
Spotlight is the official macOS search tool that comes pre-installed on a Mac computer. Through Spotlight, you can search for and find any files on Mac. It can be accessed directly from the desktop and with only a couple of button clicks. So,
Via the Terminal
You have the option to find and open files on a Mac via the terminal as well. We’ve listed the appropriate syntax, along with an example right below. So, to find files on a Mac using the terminal,
Using Third-Party Applications
If built-in Mac tools didn’t do the job for you, you could resort to using third-party applications. Third-party applications are made to give users extra features and more customization options than their built-in counterpart tools. However, a majority of these applications cannot be trusted, and some might even be a scheme to attack your computer. Hence, we never recommend our users to use third-party apps instead of the official built-in ones. Nevertheless, if you want to explore and use these apps to find files on a Mac computer, we’ve found that Raycast, Alfred, and Find Any File are some of the most popular ones.
