To quickly find a file, use the Sherlock program in the Apple menu.

Open Sherlock 2 for me.

You can use one of the shortcuts listed below to do searches more quickly, or to work with found items.

Shortcuts for choosing where to search

To select a particular folder or group of folders to search:

•	Select the Files channel, then drag the folder to the volumes list.

Shortcuts for selecting search criteria

You can select search criteria in the More Search Options window, which you open by clicking the Edit button.

To move to the next text field in the More Search Options window:

•	Press the Tab key.
	To move backward through the fields, press the Shift and Tab keys.

To locate files that have the same characteristics as a particular file:

1	Select the search criteria you want to use (such as kind or label).
	Don't enter any information in the text fields.
2	Drag the item from the Finder into the More Search Options window, click OK, then click the Search button.

Shortcuts for modifying your searches

To find files that contain some of the same words as a selected file:

•	Hold down the Control key and click the icon of the file, then choose Find Similar Files from the contextual menu.
	Note: This option is only available for files on indexed volumes.

Shortcuts for indexing files and folders

To index an individual folder or file:

•	Hold down the Control key and click the icon of the file, then choose "Index selection" from the contextual menu.

Shortcuts for working with found items

You can drag found items from the Sherlock window to any location on your desktop.

To copy a found item instead of moving it:

•	Press the Option key as you drag.

To make an alias of the item:

•	Press the Command and Option keys as you drag.

To open a found item:

•	Double-click the item.
	You can also drag items to application icons and to aliases in the Finder.

To open the folder containing a found item:

•	Select the item, then open the File menu and choose Open Enclosing Folder, or double-click the folder in the bottom section of the Items Found window.

To copy the name of a found item to the Clipboard:

•	Select the item, then open the Edit menu and choose Copy.

To copy the path of a found item to the Clipboard:

•	Select the item and press the Tab key to select the entire bottom section of the window. Then, open the Edit menu and choose Copy.

To create a summary of a text file:

•	In the Finder, hold down the Control key and click the icon of the text file, then choose "Summarize File to Clipboard" from the contextual menu.

Related topic

Searching for files