Narrow Your Search Results On Mac - Apple Support (SG)

• Apple
• • Store
  • Mac
  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Watch
  • Vision
  • AirPods
  • TV & Home
  • Entertainment
  • Accessories
  • Support
• 0+

Mac User Guide Open Menu Close Menu

• Communities

macOS Tahoe 26 macOS Sequoia 15 macOS Sonoma 14 macOS Ventura 13 macOS Monterey 12 macOS Big Sur 11.0 macOS Catalina 10.15 macOS Mojave 10.14 Select version: macOS Tahoe 26 macOS Sequoia 15 macOS Sonoma 14 macOS Ventura 13 macOS Monterey 12 macOS Big Sur 11.0 macOS Catalina 10.15 macOS Mojave 10.14 Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search this guide Clear Search Table of Contents

Mac User Guide

• Welcome
• About your Mac model
  • MacBook Air
  • MacBook Pro
  • iMac
  • Mac mini
  • Mac Studio
  • Mac Pro
• What’s new in macOS Tahoe
• Get to know the desktop
  • Work on the desktop
  • What’s in the menu bar?
  • Quickly change settings
  • What’s in the Apple menu?
  • Search with Spotlight
  • How to use Siri
  • Get notifications
  • Open apps from the Dock
  • Organise your files in the Finder
• Mac basics
  • Connect to the Internet
  • Sign in to your Apple Account
  • Set up iCloud
  • Browse the web
  • Preview a file
  • Take a screenshot
  • Change your display’s brightness
  • Adjust the volume
  • Use trackpad and mouse gestures
  • Use Touch ID
  • Print documents
  • Keyboard shortcuts
• Apps
  • Apps on your Mac
  • Open apps
  • Work with app windows
  • Tile app windows
  • Use apps in full screen
  • Use apps in Split View
  • Use Stage Manager
  • Get apps from the App Store
  • Install and reinstall apps from the App Store
  • Install and uninstall other apps
• Files and folders
  • Create and work with documents
  • Open documents
  • Mark up files
  • Combine files into a PDF
  • Organise files on your desktop
  • Organise files with folders
  • Tag files and folders
  • Back up files
  • Restore files
• Personalise your Mac
  • Change System Settings
  • Choose your desktop picture
  • Add and customise widgets
  • Use a screen saver
  • Add a user or group
  • Add your email and other accounts
  • Automate tasks with Shortcuts
  • Create Memoji
  • Change your login picture
  • Change the system language
  • Increase the size of what’s on your screen
• Get to know Siri
  • Find out what Siri can do
    • Get information with Siri
    • Call, text and email with Siri
    • Play music and podcasts with Siri
    • Control your Apple devices and smart home accessories with Siri
    • Use Siri with apps
  • Turn on and activate Siri
  • Customise Siri
• Apple Intelligence
  • Intro to Apple Intelligence
  • Translate messages and calls
  • Create original images with Image Playground
  • Create your own emoji with Genmoji
  • Use Apple Intelligence with Siri
  • Find the right words with Writing Tools
  • Summarise notifications and reduce interruptions
  • Use Apple Intelligence with apps
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Mail
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Messages
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Notes
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Phone
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Photos
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Reminders
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Safari
    • Use Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts
  • Use ChatGPT with Apple Intelligence
  • Apple Intelligence and privacy
  • Block access to Apple Intelligence features
• Beyond Mac basics
  • Set up a Focus to stay on task
  • Block pop-ups in Safari
  • Use Dictation
  • Perform quick actions with hot corners
  • Send emails
  • Send text messages
  • Make a FaceTime call
  • Edit photos and videos
  • Use Live Text to interact with text in a photo
  • Start a Quick Note
  • Get directions
• Use Apple devices together
  • Intro to Continuity
  • Use AirDrop to send items to nearby devices
  • Hand off tasks between devices
  • Control your iPhone from your Mac
  • Copy and paste between devices
  • Stream video and audio with AirPlay
  • Make and receive calls and text messages on your Mac
  • Use your iPhone internet connection with your Mac
  • Share your Wi-Fi password with another device
  • Use iPhone as a webcam
  • Insert sketches, photos and scans from iPhone or iPad
  • Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch
  • Use your iPad as a second display
  • Use one keyboard and mouse to control Mac and iPad
  • Sync music, books and more between devices
• Apple Account and iCloud
  • Manage Apple Account settings
  • Set your Apple Account picture
  • What is iCloud?
  • What is iCloud+?
  • Store files in iCloud Drive
  • Share and collaborate on files and folders
  • Manage iCloud storage
  • Use iCloud Photos
• Screen Time
  • Get started with Screen Time
  • Set up Screen Time for yourself
  • Set up Screen Time for a child
  • Track app and device usage
  • Set time limits for apps and websites
  • Set up content and privacy restrictions
• Family Sharing
  • Set up Family Sharing
  • Get Family Sharing recommendations
  • Add family members to a Family Sharing group
  • Remove family members from a Family Sharing group
  • Manage sharing and parental settings
  • Share a Photo Library
  • Collaborate on projects
  • Find content shared with you
  • Find your family and friends
• Watch, play and learn
  • Play music
  • Watch and listen together with SharePlay
  • Listen to podcasts
  • Watch TV shows and movies
  • Read and listen to books
  • Read the news
  • Write in your journal
  • Track stocks and the market
  • Play games on your Mac
  • Subscribe to Apple services
    • Apple Music
    • Apple TV
    • Apple Arcade
    • Apple News+
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Manage subscriptions in the App Store
    • View your family subscriptions
• Use accessories and hardware
  • Connect an external display
  • Use the camera
  • Connect a wireless accessory
  • Connect a printer to your Mac
  • Connect AirPods to your Mac
  • Optimise your Mac battery life
  • Optimise storage space
  • Burn CDs and DVDs
  • Control accessories in your home
  • Use Windows on your Mac
• Accessibility
  • Get started
  • General
    • Quickly turn accessibility features on or off
    • Change Shortcut settings for accessibility
    • Allow accessibility apps to access your Mac
    • Turn on accessibility options in the login window
    • Use Accessibility settings while sharing screens
  • Vision
    • Accessibility features for vision
    • Get started with VoiceOver
    • Zoom in on your surroundings
    • Zoom in on what’s onscreen
    • Make text and icons bigger
    • Adjust the display colours
    • View a larger version of colours or text
    • Read or listen to text in apps
    • Customise onscreen motion
  • Hearing
    • Accessibility features for hearing
    • Get live captions of spoken audio
    • Use subtitles and closed captions
    • Use Name Recognition
    • Use hearing devices with your Mac
    • Play background sounds
    • Change Audio settings for accessibility
  • Mobility
    • Accessibility features for mobility
    • Get started with Voice Control
    • Use the Accessibility Keyboard
    • Use Full Keyboard Access
    • Use Switch Control
    • Use head pointer
    • Use Dwell
  • Speech
    • Accessibility features for speech
    • Have what you type spoken out loud
    • Create a Personal Voice
    • Use Vocal Shortcuts
    • Have your Mac speak text that’s on the screen
    • Change Siri settings for accessibility
• Privacy and security
  • Control what you share
  • Set up your Mac to be secure
  • Allow apps to see the location of your Mac
  • Use Private Browsing
  • Keep your data safe
  • Understand passwords
  • Change weak or compromised passwords
  • Use Mail Privacy Protection
  • Use Sign in with Apple for apps and websites
  • Find a missing device
• Restart, update, reset and restore
  • Shut down or restart your Mac
  • Start up your Mac in safe mode
  • Keep your Mac up to date
  • Reinstall macOS
  • Erase your Mac
• Resources for your Mac
• Resources for your Apple devices
• Copyright and trademarks

When you search your Mac using the Finder, or other windows that have a search field, you can use several methods to focus the scope of your searches and the search results.

Tip: Want to exclude items from Spotlight results? See Choose suggestion categories for Spotlight and Prevent Spotlight searches in files.

Add criteria to a search

You can add criteria to a basic search. For example, you can search for particular kinds of files, or for items created on a particular date.

1. On your Mac, click in the Dock to open a Finder window on your Mac.

2. Enter your search term in the search field, then press Return.

3. Click on the right side of the search window, below the search field.

4. Click the far-left pop-up menu, then choose or add search criteria.

   For example, to search for only a certain type of item instead of all items, choose Kind. Or to search for any item whose name contains a particular word or phrase, choose Name.

   To add criteria, choose Other, then select each attribute you want to add. For example, to search copyright information, select Copyright in the list of attributes, then click OK.

   

5. Choose criteria from other pop-up menus that appear.

   For example, after you choose Kind, click the other pop-up menu to specify Document or Image. To add a kind, choose Other.

6. Add or remove search criteria as needed by clicking or .

7. To search using Boolean operators (OR, AND or NOT), press and hold the Option key, then click when it appears.

   You can set criteria and specify that Any, All or None of them must be met.

To appear in the search results, an item must match all your criteria. For example, if one criterion specifies searching for items whose name begins with S and you add a criterion to search for items created today, the search results include only items created today whose names begin with S.

Tip: You can save a search to use again. Just click Save below the search field. Your search is saved as a Smart Folder. To be able to quickly access your search in the Finder sidebar, make sure Add To Sidebar is selected. See Create or change a Smart Folder.

Search for metadata attributes

Most items contain metadata that describes the item’s contents, how it was created and other attributes. For example, when you take a digital photo, information such as the camera model, the aperture and the focal length are among the many details automatically stored in the file as metadata.

• To show metadata for a file, select the file, then choose File > Get Info.

  Here are examples of how you might use metadata attributes in a search:

  • trip kind:document searches for the word “trip” in documents only.

  • author:tom searches for all documents written by Tom.

  • kind:images created:16/8/24 searches for images created on a specific date.

  • kind:music by:“glenn miller” searches for music by Glenn Miller.

  • modified:<=29/7/24 searches for items modified on or before a specific date.

Search by the type of items

You can use keywords to specify the type of items you’re searching for, such as apps, contacts or bookmarks.

To specify the type of item, add the text “kind:[type of item]” at the end of your search. For example, to search for photos of New York City, enter “New York City kind:images”. To search for email messages that mention Nisha, enter “Nisha kind:email”.

Type of item	Keyword
Apps	kind:application kind:applications kind:app
Contacts	kind:contact kind:contacts
Folders	kind:folder kind:folders
Email	kind:email kind:emails kind:mail message kind:mail messages
Calendar events	kind:event kind:events
Reminders	kind:reminder kind:reminders
Images	kind:image kind:images
Movies	kind:movie kind:movies
Music	kind:music
Audio	kind:audio
PDF	kind:pdf kind:pdfs
Settings	kind:system settings kind:settings
Bookmarks	kind:bookmark kind:bookmarks
Fonts	kind:font kind:fonts
Presentations	kind:presentation kind:presentations

There are several other keywords that you can use to find items, such as from, to, author, with, by, tag, title, name, keyword and contains. To use a keyword, enter it followed by a colon, then enter your search term. For example, enter “author:John” or “title:New York City”.

Search using AND, OR and NOT

You can narrow search results using Boolean operators (AND, OR and NOT). You can also use a minus sign (–), which means AND NOT, to exclude items when you search.

Here are examples of what you might type in a search field when you use Boolean operators:

• author:tom OR author:thom searches for items authored by Tom or Thom, if you don’t know the exact spelling of his name.

• trip -france searches for items that contain the word “trip” but not “france”, so results might include photos from a trip to Spain but not to France.

• kind:message date:29/6/24-25/7/24 NOT date:14/7/24 searches for email messages dated from 29/6/24 to 25/7/24, but excludes those dated 14/7/24.

See alsoSearch for anything with Spotlight on MacSpotlight keyboard shortcuts on Mac Helpful? Yes No Character limit: 250 Please don’t include any personal information in your comment. Maximum character limit is 250. Submit Thanks for your feedback.