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Finder -> Preferences -> Advanced. When performing a search: Search the current folder
by chongli 4y ago
Finder -> Preferences -> Advanced.
When performing a search:
Search the current folder
- zestyping 4y agoThat searches the _contents_ of the files in the current folder. I just want to search the names (the way Cmd-F works in, you know, every other application: it searches what you see in the window).
- orpheansodality 4y agowow - how is this not the default? It's always the behavior that I expect to happen, and I'm pretty much always surprised and disappointed when it does a global search instead.
- zinckiwi 4y agoEspecially when global search is only ever a Cmd-Space away.
- anigbrowl 4y agoWindows also defaults to full text file searches instead of filenames, which is super annoying when you have thousands upon thousands of documents. It's often faster to open a terminal window, type 'dir search string and open the file from the terminal.
- smw 4y agoTry everything search [0], I don't think I could use windows without it. Just search filenames, instant, whole disk. [0] https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/ https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/
- zeppelin101 4y agoSeconded. This is a killer app. I can't imagine using Windows without it.
- hwbehrens 4y ago> how is this not the default? This is just speculation, but based on a conversation with my partner, there are two types of computer users. The first group makes use of hierarchical storage, consistent naming conventions, and other organizational tricks to give them a rough idea of where any file might be. The second group has never heard the term "file systems" and just stores everything with an arbitrary name in whatever location the originating application uses by default. The first group would prefer to search the given directory, because the supplied context (of which folder to start the search in) drastically improves/speeds search results. The second group prefers to search the entire disk, because supplying that additional context is impossible - any file might appear anywhere. The set intersection between the first group and "people who change their default settings" is much higher than it is with the second group. Consequently, the whole disk search is enabled by default. Additionally, given the addition of an "All My Files" view in Finder (a feature which the first group would probably find baffling), Apple may also believe that the latter group outnumbers the former.
- drstewart 4y agoFunny, I'm in the first group but I'd much rather have it search everything by default: because I organize my files, if I'm searching for one that means that I don't know where it is, so I need to look everywhere.
- mc10 4y agoReminds me of this Verge article reporting that kids growing up with iPhones don’t know what files or directories are: https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-direc...
- Bud 4y ago
- Nextgrid 4y agoThe other comments make a good point about it being optimized for dumbasses that don't even understand the basic concepts of file management. Maybe we need a name for this behavior, I propose "idiot-driven-development".
- kennend3 4y agoThanks!! Having it search my mac by default was a mild annoyance (you can click search current folder once the search starts). But this is helpful
- seanp2k2 4y agoalso `mdfind whatever` if you prefer the CLI
- fiddlerwoaroof 4y agoIf you want by name `mdfind -name whatever`.
- nuker 4y agoalso fd, brew install fd
- satysin 4y agoIf you have a setup script add the following to set this automatically: defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf"
- shoelessone 4y agoI'm interested in what you mean by "setup script" - I assume you have a script of some sort you run when / if you re-install the OS? I'd love to hear more about this!
- satysin 4y agoI have a simple shell script that does a bunch of setup for me to automate things. It grabs my dot files and restores them, installs Homebrew and a bunch of programs, restores their plists (I have backup script that backs up all their plists) and writes a bunch of macOS settings via the `defaults write` command. I can install/wipe macOS, follow the initial setting screens then when on the desktop I just connect to my NAS, copy over one script and run it in the Terminal to get my machine setup how I like it. It isn't perfect but it does about 97% of the work for me with the added bonus that it is consistent/reproducible for the most part so avoids me forgetting to change a setting some place. I don't go crazy with it as I don't wipe my machine often enough to justify going all out with a fully automated system. Honestly it is less to save time and more to maintain consistency and have a 'documented as code' record of my environment setup (not quite infrastructure as code levels :)
- sjg 4y agoLook up dotfiles on GitHub - for example https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles/blob/main/.macos https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles/blob/main/.macos
- warvariuc 4y agoOh, my! # Trackpad: enable tap to click for this user and for the login screen # Trackpad: map bottom right corner to right-click # Disable “natural” (Lion-style) scrolling
- insane_dreamer 4y agoAgreed. Its an embarrasment. Use Alfred; I've been using it for years (10 maybe?) -- solves this problem and is extremely useful in general
- rcarr 4y ago+1 for Alfred. Amazing software.
- blackSnake 4y ago++2 for Alfred. AND it has plugins so you can search your Chrome or Brave tabs with Alfred as well. I just hit CMD + Shift + T and it'll search all my open tabs without the browser being in focus. I had to pay but it wasn't much. Use it everyday! https://github.com/epilande/alfred-browser-tabs https://github.com/epilande/alfred-browser-tabs
- insane_dreamer 4y agooooh, I hadn't seen that plugin before; nice
- ajgrover 4y agoI used Alfred for 10+ years as well, but am a recent Raycast convert. Much larger and easier to use extension ecosystem, and looks nicer too IMO.
- 4y ago
- LeoPanthera 4y agoWell yes but in Ventura "Preferences" is now "Settings". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- ideamotor 4y agoHilarious this is not default. Thanks.
- behnamoh 4y agoWhy isn't this the default setting? I mean, who searches their entire machine when they're inside a folder?
- Tagbert 4y ago@hwbehrens lays out the likely reason in an earlier post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33321978 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33321978 Short answer Large number of users don’t use folders to organize their files. They just depend on searching everywhere to find files that may have dropped in any random location. Those people are less likely to find the setting that makes current folder the default search target.