a (quite simple) Search bugs in macOS Sonoma and far too many inconsistencies

WARNING: Many readers will abhors what follows.


Since several (at least since macOS El Capitan) the inconsistency of macOS causes me to lose enormous amounts of time. There are so many malfunctions that I discover at leat once a week, a severe bug.


The last are very simple:


1/2. OPENING A FILE

I’m in the Finder and I want to open an image file: a simple small JPG file.

So I click on its name and issue “cmd+o” but… it doesn’t work.

Only by double clicking it works.

(when I try half an hour later, the cmd+o works) 

> > > This is just one example of  at least 20 inconsistencies I encounter daily. < < <


2/2. Again in Finder: 

I’m searching for a files containing the 

string “internet” and created in the last 2 weeks, but… It shows me hundredths of files all having a MODIFICATION date prior to 3 MONTHS AGO!!! (cf. attached partial screen-dump)

I’m using mac since it was created: 1984. Major troubles started when Apple decided to stop following the Inside Macintosh goodness. Since ±2010 so many problems accumulated that I was considering switching to PC… which, as many others, is impossible.


What to do? Praying it will be better in future?


PS: Since April ’23 I’m always using the latest macOS version and I performi each and every update.

Mac mini

Posted on Apr 17, 2024 12:28 AM

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4 replies

Apr 18, 2024 2:40 AM in response to DLWorldCitizen

> “cmd+o” but… it doesn’t work


I have not experienced this but maybe a related occasional problem is that when doing intensive file manipulations in two folders, then the other folder might at some point ignore input or miss the focus so the action goes to the other folder instead. But this happens very rarely.


> searching for a files containing [...] and created in the last


I did a quick test with 10 .jpg files where I set internal metadata date (ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal) as 1-10 Apr 2024, MacOS:FileCreateDate 11-20 Apr 2024 and System:FileModifyDate 21-30 Apr 2024.


I added "Date Created" to the Finder List file column and it displays the same FileCreateDate and FileModifyDate as Finder Get Info as expected:



I then did a search for file name and by surprise noticed that there "Date Created" column displays ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal metadata date instead FileCreateDate and the latter seemed impossible to list there eventhough that criteria could be added as "Created" (it is extra confusing that Apple uses different names for the same date tag):




So when today 18 Apr searching with "Created Date" (yes, the words are in different order as in "Date Created" although the same tag is used) and setting "within last 8" days, it correctly listed the only file which had ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal 10 Apr:



And when today 18 Apr searching with "Created" and setting "within last 8" days, it correctly lists files where the FileCreateDate is 11-18 Apr. But very confusingly the "Date Created" column displays ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal instead FileCreateDate which was searched:



I then did a test with simple BBEdit .txt files (with no EXIF metadata) with the same MacOS:FileCreateDate 11-20 Apr 2024 and System:FileModifyDate 21-30 Apr 2024 dates. Then there was no difference between "Created Date" and "Created" so searching FileCreateDate worked as expected.


-> So searching by FileCreateDate with that added "Created" criteria works ... but confusingly the search window might list some internal metadata like ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal instead FileCreateDate.


a (quite simple) Search bugs in macOS Sonoma and far too many inconsistencies

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