FileOctopus Add only the folders you want searched
Open FileOctopus → Settings…. Use the Search window's + button to select a folder. Its names become available to indexed searches; Contents and Text in Images remain separate per-folder choices.
Choose a focused project or collection instead of assuming This Mac covers everything. The app does not start with an automatic full-disk scan. A scoped folder Find and ordinary browsing are distinct from approving a persistent index root.
Understand status
| Status | What to do |
|---|---|
| Indexing… / Updating… | Allow the scan or reconciliation to settle; results may be incomplete. |
| Paused | Resume when you want updates again. |
| Offline | Reconnect the location; do not treat old metadata as current availability. |
| No access / unreadable folders | Review macOS permissions and the chosen location. |
| Moved or replaced — add it again | Reauthorize the intended folder explicitly. |
| Failed | Read the reported reason, then repair access or rebuild as appropriate. |
The app watches for filesystem changes and reconciles its index. Revalidation still occurs before actions on results. Status and index counts describe coverage, not a guarantee that every possible file is accessible.
Pause, rebuild, remove, or erase
- Select a root and choose Pause/Resume to control updates.
- Choose Rebuild to reconstruct a selected root's index.
- Use − to remove a selected folder from approved search locations.
- Choose Erase Index… to delete stored indexed names, contents, and OCR text. Original files are untouched. Approved folders stay listed and are indexed again.
To keep a folder out of future persistent indexing, remove it from the list rather than only erasing its current index. The current Settings UI does not expose a general custom exclusion-pattern editor.
When results are missing
First check the selected scope, then the query's chips, then root status. Content/OCR needs its corresponding option and supported local bytes. Source search needs recorded origin metadata. See search troubleshooting.