To search for files on a macOS system, there are several options available. You can use the built-in system app launcher and search tool called Spotlight, or use the find command directly from the command-line. However, there are also several free and open-source tools available to help you find and locate the required files.
One such alternative option is the use of the locate command, which offers a faster search experience as it searches through a pre-built database of file locations. Another option is the use of the mdfind command, which is similar to Spotlight but with more advanced search options.
In addition to these command-line tools, there are also several third-party apps available that offer enhanced search capabilities. For example, EasyFind is a lightweight and fast search tool that allows you to search for files based on name, content, or attributes.
While Spotlight is a great default search app, some users may prefer open-source alternatives, or choose to disable the built-in auto file/folder indexing and use other search methods. By exploring these alternative options, you can find the search tool that works best for your needs.
1- Tonnerre
Tonnerre is a pure swift built, extensible, and productive Spotlight alternative. You can consider it as a global search bar with everything you are interested, or it is a text-based Siri who responds to all your requests.
Tonnerre allows you to:
Quickly open any place
Search all your apps and local files
Search thru file names and file content
Search the web: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google Image, Google Map
Quickly preview file content directly within Tonnerre
Sol is an app launcher, focused on ease of use and speed. It is aimed to be a replacement for Alfred, Spotlight and Raycast without too much configuration.
Sol features highlights
Clipboard manager
Calendar integration
Window manager with simple keystrokes
Media control
Supports many developer commands
file/ folder search
To get Sol, you can either download the Application Image, or install it directly using Homebrew brew install --cask sol.
Snap is an application which searches your Files, Contacts and Calendar events using Spotlight Metadata. It has many customization options as well as the ability to speed up your workflow by providing features like music control, clipboard history, snippet expansion and system commands like sleeping, restarting and shutting down the computer. Snap is inspired by Alfred.
Quicksilver is a fast and free macOS productivity application that gives you the power to control your Mac quickly and elegantly. Quicksilver learns your habits, making your everyday chores simple and efficient.
Quicksilver gives you quick access to all your important things. With only a few keystrokes, you can get to your applications, files, contacts, bookmarks, music, etc. Don't get distracted though; although Quicksilver finds and launches things quickly and extremely well, it's more about doing, not finding.
Cerebro is a multi-platform desktop app that helps the user to search their machine or the internet with no more than a few clicks.
The app is created by Alexandr Subbotin a Russian developer, who also created several useful plugins. Later then, the app attracted many developers who supply it with more plugins and support.
If you are a macOS user, You can notice the similarity with the built-in search app Spotlight search, which indexes all of your files and improve search and access to everything.
DocFetcher is an Open Source desktop search application: It allows you to search the contents of files on your computer. — You can think of it as Google for your local files. The application runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X, and is made available under the Eclipse Public License.
Spotter is an amazing native productivity tool for macOS that enables you to launch anything. It has its own plugin system that allows developers to extend their functionalities by building their own extensions and plugins.
fd is a program to find entries in your filesystem. It is a simple, fast and user-friendly alternative to find. While it does not aim to support all of find's powerful functionality, it provides sensible (opinionated) defaults for a majority of use cases. It is completely free and open-source built using the Rust language.
Verve is a lightweight and blazingly fast launcher for accessing and opening applications, files and documents. It serves as a replacement for popular tools such as Spotlight, Raycast, and Alfred, and is written in the Rust programming language using the Tauri Framework.
LaunchMenu is an Open Source, cross-platform application which brings utilities (applets) to your fingertips. Open it at a press of a button, with LaunchMenu's keyboard centric design!
17. orient: File Indexer and Fille & Folder search tool
Orient is a free open-source cross-platform filesystem indexer and searcher combining the merits of find, locate and Everything, plus file content searches. Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
FTP file Sync and FTP Back Tools are software tools that enable users to synchronize and back up files using the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) protocol. With these tools, users can easily transfer files between a local computer and a remote server, ensuring that the files are kept up-to-date and
Data backup is the process of creating a copy of important data and storing it in a safe location, separate from the original data. This is done to protect against data loss in case the original data becomes corrupted, damaged, or lost.
Backing up data is significant to ensure that
System auditing is the process of collecting and analyzing information about a computer's use, events, and security. This information can be used to detect and prevent security breaches, troubleshoot problems, and ensure compliance with regulations and policies.
System auditing is important because it provides visibility into what is happening on
In the digital age, where information is at our fingertips and data storage is crucial, having the best archiver for Mac can be a game-changer. Whether you're a professional who deals with large files daily or a casual user looking to save disk space, finding the best archiver for your
Replibyte is an exceptional tool that enables you to seed large databases with your production data in a lightning-fast manner, without compromising the safety of sensitive data.
With Replibyte, you can quickly and easily replicate your entire database, ensuring that you have accurate and up-to-date information at all times. Whether
The Brewup script is a Bash script that builds on Homebrew - The Missing Package Manager for macOS. Using Brewup, you can create a backup of a config file that contains all installed Taps, Formulas, Casks and App Store Apps on your macOS. You can also use Github to keep
Would you like to enhance the beauty of your photos, but are unsure of which software to choose to do so? In this article, we will explore a detailed comparison of photo editors for Mac. If you're an enthusiastic hobbyist or an experienced professional, you're sure to find a freeware
Olivia is an open-source chatbot built in Golang using Machine Learning technologies. Its goal is to provide a free and open-source alternative to big services like DialogFlow.
You can chat with her by speaking (STT) or writing, she replies with a text message but you can enable her voice (TTS).
Data recovery is the process of retrieving lost, corrupted, or deleted data from a storage device such as a hard drive, USB drive, or memory card. Data recovery is often used to restore important files that have been accidentally deleted or lost due to hardware failure or other issues.
Data
A mass or batch file rename tool is a software program that allows you to rename multiple files at once, instead of having to rename them individually. This can save you a significant amount of time and effort, especially if you have a large number of files that need to
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