If you like typing shortcuts you can do it that way.īut that confuses a lot of people especially if you have files that have lots of words in them. A shortcut for that is to type name colon and it automatically does that. So when typing you can select Name Matches and now you get only that. So when you're doing a regular search you're actually searching file names and the content. This may seem confusing but the term is actually in the content of that file. Because if you notice here in my results I have a file right there that doesn't actually even have the name in the name of the file. Now you may also notice when you search for files that you do have the option to search for Name Matches. But no matter which one you have it set at you're best bet is to go to some sort of top level like your Documents folder or your Home folder and start a search from there just to make sure you cover all your bases.

So instead of being in the current folder it's wherever you searched last. Video Transcript: You can change the default behavior by going to Finder, Preferences and under Advanced you have When performing a search start in the current folder, the entire Mac, or the previous search scope. Check out 4 Common Mistakes Mac Users Make When Trying To Search For Files at YouTube for closed captioning and more options.

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