FileOctopus Search names quickly, narrow with visible metadata filters, and decide exactly where FileOctopus looks.
Three ways to start
| Action | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Type in the focused file view | Selects a matching name without changing the listing. | Jumping to a file you can already see. |
| View → Filter Current Folder | Filters already-loaded current-folder items in memory. | Narrowing a long listing without a recursive scan. |
| File → Find, ⌘F | Searches the chosen scope with filename matching and filters. | Finding files across folders or by metadata. |
Fuzzy filename matching helps with incomplete name fragments. It is part of the search implementation; the current menu does not expose a separate global fuzzy palette or general command palette.
Read the scope before the results
- The named current folder: searches that folder's scope, including descendants.
- This Mac: searches only folders approved in Search settings. It does not grant full-disk access or search all mounted drives automatically.
- Open Panes: searches across open pane folders; the choice is shown when multiple panes are open.
- Filter “Folder”: the shallow, in-memory filter entered explicitly with Filter Current Folder.
Switch scopes in the search bar. Offline, inaccessible, incomplete, or updating sources can affect results; read the displayed status. Use Search settings to control indexed coverage.
From words to visible filters
Type a name, a supported natural-language phrase, explicit operators, or a combination. Every interpreted metadata predicate produces a filter chip. Click a chip for its available edits or Remove; Delete removes a focused chip. Date, size, and kind chips offer common replacement choices.
Read parsing messages. An unknown operator remains a literal filename term with a warning; an invalid recognized operator contributes no filter and displays an error. Fix the query before relying on the result set.
Act on a result
Select a result to Quick Look, open, or reveal its folder. Copy, move, rename, duplicate, and Trash use the same operation boundary as browsing, with file identity rechecked before a change. The results menu exposes available actions for the selection. Tags cannot currently be edited from results.
For a repeatable workflow, save the search and pin it in the sidebar. Search results are references to original files; a move or rename acts on those originals.
Pick a recipe
- Recent screenshots, large videos, and dated documents.
- Exact extensions, tags, date ranges, and exclusions.
- Words inside documents and text in images.
- Files downloaded from a known source.
Watch: save a weekly review query
Save the current query and scope with a descriptive name and the Add to Sidebar option.
Recorded in FileOctopus using fictional files. No audio. The clip shows saving, not a frozen results snapshot. Relative date filters are evaluated when a saved search runs again.
Read the demo steps
- Run ‘pdfs from last week’ in the active pane.
- Choose Save and name the search ‘Weekly PDF review’.
- Leave Add to Sidebar selected and save. The app confirms the saved search; it is available from Go → Saved Searches.