Can Mac Spotlight do boolean AND searches, and include all messages and emails?

Does macOS Spotlight support boolean AND searches and cover all emails and messages? Are there advanced search options to filter, say TO two people, FROM a person, together with keywords.


Easily finding things you know exist is so fundamental. Windows has long had an app (X1) where I ALWAYS could find what I was looking for within a minute. It allows you to filter in so many ways that you zero in and find what you knew was someone on your system.


Am I missing something, or is macOS search really this limited?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.3

Posted on May 21, 2021 9:50 AM

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May 21, 2021 12:47 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks for this. I had read this before.


But seriously, this is like using Terminal to do searches, where you have to remember all these keywords and enter them correctly. X1 on Windows has dropdown selection filters for each of these. Nothing to type, all your options just a click away, and usually gets you quickly to your intended result,


Is so amazing to see Apple, who focused on ease-of-use, to have a search function that is closer to Windows DOS. Would you agree this is totally subpar on Apple's end? I expect much better.


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.”

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Can Mac Spotlight do boolean AND searches, and include all messages and emails?

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