Finding files has never been hard on a Mac until I got OS12

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Finding files has never been hard on a Mac until I got OS12

I suppose there are several ways to search for a file on a Mac, the one I've use for decades is; I open a Finder window and in the upper right hand corner is an area where I can search. I almost never search for contents of a file, but rather I am searching for file names ONLY.

Starting with OS 12, when I type something I'm searching for there's a choice that reads "filename". However, "filename" is dimmed, and I cannot select it. How do I go about searching for filenames ONLY?

Thanks

Posted on Nov 20, 2021 7:24 PM

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Answer 1

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Barney-15E

Level 10

116,680 points

Nov 20, 2021 8:17 PM in response to Ziatron

Well, I guess that's it. I only got "contains ABCXYZ" which then selects name: ABCXYZ. I don't have to choose between filename and everything, but the options are there.

If you enter "name: ABCXYZ" it will get there faster.

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Answer 2

Ziatron Author

Level 5

4,193 points

Nov 20, 2021 7:47 PM in response to Barney-15E

OK, I think I've got it, but it works in a very weird way to me. Let me tell you what happens and you can see if this is "normal".

Searching for a file that I know exists. I enter "ABCXYZ" immediately below the search window it reads "filename" (dimmed) I then get a list of documents that contain "ABCXYZ". If I drill down a bit and click on "contains" "ABCXYZ" I am then presented with a choice "filename" or "everything". I select "filename" and I finally get the search that I'm after, showing me only the filenames of my search.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,680 points

Nov 20, 2021 7:33 PM in response to Ziatron

"filenames" is the header of the search tokens. You should see a token like 'contains <term>'

If you don't see a token, then it isn't finding anything with that in the name.

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Finding files has never been hard on a Mac until I got OS12

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