How to set the default Search location in a Finder Window

One of those small things that cause irritation out of proportion to their apparent significance and time wasting out of proportion to the task. 


In a Finder Window, search window top right, how do I default the search to the current folder and children? 


At the moment the search starts by searching whole Mac and I have to switch it manually to the current folder. 


My way of working is to use the top Search for computer wide searches, I only ever use the search in the context of a folder if I want items from that folder (or children)


I do notice questions about this stretching back to 2007! It's not OS Version dependent as far as I can tell - I am on Mojave so do let me know if this has been resolved since.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Feb 22, 2022 1:49 AM

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Posted on Feb 22, 2022 6:00 AM

Finder > Preferences > Advanced. Set "When performing a search:" to "Search the Current Folder".

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How to set the default Search location in a Finder Window

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