The most popular interface to Spotlight, through the menu bar, dates back 27 years to Sherlock, when mixing web and local search seemed a good idea. A great deal has changed since, but not Spotlight.
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From AppleSearch and Find File in 1994, demand for search has grown with rising storage capacity. Sherlock was released in 1998, then replaced by Spotlight in 2005. Twenty years later it’s still going strong.
Entering search queries directly into a Spotlight search box, using the raw query attribute in the Find window’s search bar, and using mdfind. Which is best?
How to create and use a Saved Search or Smart Folder, which isn’t a folder at all, how you can change its search, and how it works.
Using the Spotlight window and Finder’s Find window to locate local files that match your search criteria. Word boundaries and their effect on search results.
Applying a sequence of criteria to narrow search until you find your target. How incremental search can help. The role of predicates, and how to search the log.
How the name of one of the two ancient Greek Graces confuses Spotlight’s search box, and which characters can separate words.
Open multiple windows in LogUI, set them up to obtain the same log extract, then apply different searches to each. A powerful way to read long and complex log extracts.
Search your log extract instantly to show only entries containing the chosen text in their message, process name, sender name, or subsystem.
Finder tags should sync in iCloud Drive, and should be found when you use Spotlight search for their tag labels. Here’s what to check when there are problems.
The Eclectic Light Company 