Search for file on Maverick 10.9

Use the free EasyFind instead.

A lot of what Apple does is aimed at the lowest common denominator. Meaning, try to keep inexperienced users from destroying their computers by removing files and folders from areas of the drive they shouldn't even be looking in. So by default, the Find function and Spotlight will not show you anything in the System or root Library folders. I'm sure that was also the idea behind hiding the Library folder in each user account. Thankfully, in Mavericks they gave experienced users an easy way to show the user account Library without having to resort to a Terminal command.

It shouldn't take any time at all to find a file on an indexed drive. If the drive isn't indexed, it isn't searched at all. If it hasn't listed the file you are looking for in a couple of seconds, it isn't going to find it.

I think in the distant past, it used to scan the drive for file names. I don't think it does that anymore. Mavericks is all Spotlight all the time. If it isn't indexed, it isn't there. If your index is incomplete, you can force Spotlight to reindex your drive. Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes

Contrary to what Kurt states, Spotlight will search system folders if you tell it to. The default is to not as normal users don't need to find things in the system folders. But, none of that has anything to do with your question.

Contrary to what Kurt states, Spotlight will search system folders if you tell it to.

Yes, if you tell it to. I stated "by default" it won't look there, which is correct.

The main difference is how they look. Spotlight is great if you need to search inside files. So it's fantastic for writers, journalists, etc. who need to find a phrase inside PDF of other file types. If your main goal is finding file and folder names, EasyFind is all I ever use.

Kurt Lang wrote:

Contrary to what Kurt states, Spotlight will search system folders if you tell it to.

Yes, if you tell it to. I stated "by default" it won't look there, which is correct.

The main difference is how they look. Spotlight is great if you need to search inside files. So it's fantastic for writers, journalists, etc. who need to find a phrase inside PDF of other file types. If your main goal is finding file and folder names, EasyFind is all I ever use.

I've never had a problem using Spotlight to find a file and it does it instantly.

If I know I only wish to search for file names, I use that function in the Finder.

To each their own, but I find it useless. Sure, I can add System Files > are included to the search, but that matches everything on every mounted drive. You can't confine the search to one volume. My only choices in OS X's Find are This Mac, and for whatever reason, "Games", wherever that's supposed to be.

Putting in .ttf shows me nothing until I add System files. Then I get hundreds of matches, most of which are not on the drive I want to know about. Basically, Find in OS X stinks. EasyFind is FAR more flexible for file and folder searches. I can even locate things OS X would never, ever show me. Such as items inside packages.

Just search in the folder level where you think it exists. You must set Finder preferences to search the current folder.

Your preferences must be set to search in "Games" if that is not where you started the search.

Can't say I follow. There are no options to change the search area. This is all I get:

Though I finally figured out where " Games" came from. I happened to have a folder by that name open. But then what would I need to use Find for when I can just scroll through the open folder? I have icons of all of my drives visible on the desktop, but none of those show up as a separately selectable item so I can search only that volume, and you cannot in any way make a particular drive appear in the Find interface. Sorry, still truly useless.

If you haven't used EasyFind, give it a try. You'll see why so many people on these forums recommend it.

I have tried it. I prefer Spotlight's instant response.

Well, as I noted, to each their own.

While in the finder window where you are searching, go to View in the menu bar. Select Show Status Bar or hit ⌘/. The Search status will show up in the bottom bar of that finder window.