Find Any File for Mac

2.3

2.3

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I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I've been using a Mac since 1986. Maybe it's me, but I hardly EVER use Spotlight. It seems the few times I use Spotlight each month, I never can find what I'm looking for, and find tons of shit I'm NOT looking for. Find Any File just works. It finds stuff that I can't find with Spotlight. Again, maybe it's me. Is there a "trick" to making Spotlight work? FInd any file is only 8 bucks. It's worth it.

Excellent. In general, FAF is much more thorough than Spotlight. Also FAF is quite fast and efficient in its searching.

love it. my go to search util now. has 'hidden' features using option key, & worth learning some other identifiers -- developer super responsive. worth paying for!

Most of the time I use Spotlight rather than Find Any File, since Spotlight is faster. But if I want to find things that Spotlight doesn't index, Find Any File is essential. For example, recently I wanted to search a folder for all files containing the character string " bin" (i.e., bin preceded by a blank). Spotlight ignored the blank and found many files containing "bin", which were precisely the files I *didn't* want to find. In contrast, Find Any File found exactly what I was looking for. As a follow-up test, I told both Find Any File and Spotlight to search the same folder for files containing "bin". Spotlight found some but not all of them, and Find Any File found all of them.

Find Any File is a must-have utility! I've been using it for years and consequently have never had to bother with the awful macOS built-in search function. Find Any File is faster and more accurate without needing to index whole drives of files.

Super app. Able to do everything, while comfortable, pleasant and almost free! I recommend it against the use of expensive programs.

Really fast and efficient for ANY file on the internal disk and also on the externals. Very cheap for a good job. Thanks to the developper

This is a great little application, I find it vastly superior to the OS searches and happy it's 64-bit for the time when I do go Catalina. Well worth the $6.

What is the purpose of Find Any File when Finder is already installed on my iMac? Thank you.

I like this app a lot. I see it is 64 bit. I haven't gotten Catalina yet but if I do eventually, I hope this and my other favorite apps will work.

Totally indispensable and my goto finding app. Congrats on the 64-bit update! No small accomplishment.

Great app. And, I'm confused now... the developer says "Version 2.0 is a 64 bit application, ready for macOS 10.15 Catalina. However, my System Report (from OS 10.14.6) shows this app as a NON-64 Bit App that will not work with Catalina. Has anyone upgraded yet and determined IF this app actually does or does NOT work with Catalina?

Great, fast little application and now 64-bit, excellent.

download link is for V1.93, a 32 bit version.

Good for APFS drives; not so great for HFS(+) drives. I end up using both EAsyFind and Find Any File because the latter is slower on HFS drives.

…Addendum: A request to the developer. When copying and pasting the size data in bytes from the Info pane in Finder (to look for files of byte-for-byte identical size, for instance), the dot(s) (as, in, "1.832.745.521 bytes", for instance) don't automatically get parsed (if that's the right term), into a format that Find Any File recognises (i.e., don't get translated into a dot-less format), thus necessitating a manual deletion of the dot(s) on the user's part. When working with large quantities of files, deleting every dot in the search bar becomes a bit of a chore. Another suggestion would be to expand the scope of search options with more criteria, such as "file type" (i.e., a document, an image, an audio or a video file, an email, a PDF, etc.), rather than only "Is / Isn't a Folder" alone. Other than these two shortcomings (that I can think of out of My head), the app is very useful and well implemented!

A very useful utility that works to expectation. One thing I needed it for in particular (I'm sure, this app's utility is vastly greater than the purpose I availed of yesterday, and I believe, I'll utilise its other features soon, as well) - is listing all the invisible files across a number of subfolders (a few hundreds) in a certain folder. I tried free alternatives - iFileX would crash even before the Ui would pop up. Relaunched the app a few times - same story. Uninstalled. Tried EasyFind: the app does not allow to choose to include or to exclude extensions or even specify that the files I'm looking for, should have names starting with a ".". I wonder how they got to version 4.9.3 without incorporating such basic features. Tried HoudahSpot in demo mode, as I had bought a license (which turns out to be long expired) in a bundle a few years ago: this one has the function, but it doesn't work! Shows no results. Tembo - same story as the EasyFind, just in a slightly better interface and it isn't free: the property is missing altogether. Went back and bought a Find Any File license - the best utility of the kind for macOS bar none! Much more reasonably priced than the ridiculously overpriced HoudahSpot, as well. Highly recommended! The search results window may, at first sight, look a bit basic, but it does have drag-and-drop support (plays well with the Finder and 3rd party apps!), Quick Look, various View Options, item count, an option to include or exclude hidden files, etc. 5 stars out of 5! No reservations in recommending it!

The one star in this review is just to counter the hyped-up anti-EasyFind reviews here. No doubt that Find Any File finds (almost) everything on a hard drive.

Howevver, in all of my about 10 tests in which I ran EasyFind and Find Any File next to each other both applications finished almost simultaneously, being not even a second apart.

And, guess what - Easyfind found in ALL searches exactly one file more than Find Any File. Why? Because Find Any File does not include the little "faf" files that it creates for each search in its results. I don't know about anybody else but in my book that clearly and indisputably means that it does not find "any" file, just "almost any" file.

One other thing: Although I had in my searches defined that I do NOT want to have package contents included in the results Find Any File showed them initially in its results, making me initially belief that it had indeed found more files than EasyFind. I actually would not rule out that the Find Any File maker wants this to happen so that his (not free) applications looks better than the (free) EasyFind.

Here some of my search terms: teamviewer, indesign, carbon, splashtop, lazy, solar, nzb, xls. All searches were done on a "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" hard drive; I can not say how the applications compare on APFS drives.

Conclusion: The free utility EasyFind finds as many files as as the not so free utility Find Any File; both utilities search with the same speed.

I've used and loved EasyFind for years, but Find Any File leaves it in the dust! It's more than10 (Yep, ten!) times faster and offers multiple GUIs as opposed to EasyFind's one, its results are dynamically configurable, and it even shows trashed items in real time. I asked EasyFind about an update e few months ago and was told that it was coming but was very low priority; I just trashed it. Goodbye, old friend.

Absolutely nothing better! If you need to find something, anything on your drive there is no better tool, period! Also, the developer actually will respond to you directly and quickly for any issue, concern or suggestion. If you don't have this app...why not?

I ran into a bizarre situation where the (High Sierra) Finder's own search would not find the word "sales" in downloaded "report-US-sales-xxxx" file names. That made it a chore to separate music sales reports from subscription and preview reports (those words work fine). The old EasyFind app works, but with no updates since 2014, I worried that it was abandoned. So I came back here looking for something new. It's amazing how many utilities also fail, or are obtuse in some other way like not being able to limit your search to the current Finder selection. Find Any File works nicely in all regards with a clean UI. Launch it with a hotkey, set range, find files, drag files out, done. It's well worth the six bucks. If I had one wish beyond the 64-bit version already in progress, it's that the "Find Items" range pop-up would remember its selection or default to a preference setting, so e.g. I wouldn't have to select "in Finder selection" every launch. Recommended.

Je ne veux plus de cette application. I don't want this application anymore.

Excellent!

ma come si fa a dare 5 stelle quando c'è easyfind che non costa niente ed è migliore

Faster than EasyFind. I have been using EasyFind for ages. Recently, it has slowed down. FAF is a saver: effectively replaced it.

way better than spotlight!

An old favorite! Can be slow...but it is a great app to have!

Am frustrated with how bad Search is in Finder and when in Save dialog. macOS often finds NOTHING! Does this search inside Save dialogs because I need to locate directories in which to save samples when and where I find them?

FaF is a good useful tool. Except, there are several concerns. I see a lot of custom stuff instead of native. For example the list displaying the files has funky scrolling. No standard OSX bouncy scrolling. This makes browsing the file terrible. The file icon view is very slow. Why doesn’t it use standard OSX views for this? Sadly it is 32bit too and no news about a 64bit version from the developer. This means FaF will stop working with the next MACOS version soon. It would be great if the developers can put everything in a modern UI, with modern views and behavior. Of course with 64bit support too.

This is an excellent App for finding files left behind after uninstalling an App. It is speedy and quite accurate in its detection of files no matter how deeply they are buried in your mac. It also has quite good search parameters to further refine your searchs.

FAF is truly a classic tool both in the sense it having a long development history—it was first released in 2008, and also in the sense that the functionality it provides is timeless, and is as relevant today as it was a way back then. I am very happy that it now was updated to support the APFS file system. If you need to find files—buy FAF! Really!

I've been using this for forever. It has always been the fastest and best utility for finding files, and it really shines when looking for files that Spotlight doesn't index. This, and the fact that the author is very dedicated and wants this to be a great utility. Incredibly useful and designed with integrity. What's not to love? You should pay for this at least once.

This is my go-to app when I'm looking for files on my drives.

Was the BEST ever. High Sierra finally broke it. Was so fast and easy, and nothing else is as fast/easy. Rats.

Does this still work with APFS?

Very fast tool to find obscure files. :) Highly recommended.

I have been using this app for quite a while (perhaps 4 years). It has been Solid, extremely Reliable and has never caused any system conflicts or problems. It has been a major bacon saver!! I have some sort of OSX corruption problem that Apple Support has not solved in 3 calls. Spotlight and Apple Crashy Mess Mail search are useless but Find Any File Works!!

This is simply an invaluable app when you need to find a file. Nothing can hide from a highest quality magnifying lens of the Find Any File!

Amazing simple and awesome tool to find about anything on your system ! Cheap it is, huge it is.

I have this on my iMac and love it, use it all the time. But I am unable to install it on my Macbook Pro, and it's making me nuts. I get a message that Find Any File.app can't be opened because the identity of the developer cannot be verified. Help!

Really will find any file, quickly and easily! Especially good for plist, bom and all kinds of hidden files.

Fantastic app. Thank you. Go to the developer's homepage http://www.macupdate.com/developer_site/30079/Thomas+Tempelmann and check out what it can do. Maybe also click the 'Manual' link to read the manual. This is one of the most usefull must-have apps! So I give it 6 stars ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

It seems Find Any File cannot be used in conjunction with services or Automator. It would be nice to be able to select a word in any application and then search for a file with that name in Find Any File.

Very good!!! When deleting protected files, the program asks for the admin password. Could you please make the text field for the password be focused, so I don't have to click on it first in order to enter the password?

Simply a brilliant app. I use it often especially to dig around for files I've lost track of or to search through unix directories for hidden things. It's fast, powerful and, though not the prettiest app I've laid hands on, its interface is thoughtful. Buy it.

8 Dollars for something EasyFind does hundred times better for free?
You must be kidding.

Edit:
I just went to http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/ to have a better idea
and was amazed by his honesty.
I still prefer EasyFind but i must admit this is the first dev ever to be so frank
and clever.
I wish you all the best.

A great app at a good price - much better than OSX's search tool.

This version crashes on launch. I am on OSX10.10.2

People may not realize what a wonderful tool FindAnyFile is for removing most all traces of an app you don't want on your Mac any more. Uninstaller's boast that they remove every last trace of an app but this is not the case. There are some files left in hidden places but the algorithm for a given uninstaller can't deal with these "orphans". FindAnyFile can. First, I use an uninstaller and search for all the files it can delete. i study the names of those files in the uninstaller's list before deleting them. Usually, within the file name is a unique and predictable naming sequence like com.JohnSmith.Goldmaker.plist. The developer's name is unique and the name of the app is unique. So, after uninstalling what the uninstaller can delete from my iMac, I use FindAnyFile in the simplest mode "Name contains_________" I scan using FindAnyFile on the developer's name "JohnSmith" and/or "Goldmaker" and get more hits, usually in the Private (hidden) folder and its sub-folders. Lots of hits like .bom files, receipts, etc. i carefully delete these files with FindAnyFile if I am SURE that the file has both developer.appname or the developer or the appname is truly so unique that i know without doubt that I am able to delete the file(s) without mistakenly deleting another app's file(s) or a shared file for an app by the same developer. This is advanced stuff and you have to know how to use Time Machine or be willing to reinstall an app or the whole operating system if you goof. But this is no different than using iTrash uninstaller which in advanced mode gives false hits plus that developer pushes iFileX which is just the same as FindAnyFile for this purpose. So, I have, in the end, a cleaner mac. Five Stars.

Super!

I’ve tried a lot of search applications, including Tembo, EasyFind and HoudahSpot, but FAF is definitely the best.

If you think this is better than iFileX, please tell why. I would like to hear some opinions.

I have been an EasyFind user for years. However, I recently had the need to search on dates. HoudaSpot, which is a great front end for Spotlight, will do that but Spotlight does not index (or report on) certain folders reliably. Find Any File offers two of the four file date search criteria. I hope they consider adding Date Added and Date Last Opened but those are niggles. The results window is spectacular. Seeing the folder tree is very useful. I could see this replacing EasyFind, although I am so comfortable with that app from years of use that I imagine I will use the two side by side until I get comfortable.

It's been a while since I rated FAF, so it's time for another five stars. FAF is an indispensable app. I use it for all sorts of stuff, from finding mis-filed files to completely removing software. It's fast, quite configurable and a fantastic deal at $6. The support is excellent, too. I have contacted the dev a few times with questions that it turned out I should have been able to figure out on my own or find the answer to in the help file, but despite the dev answered my questions fully and quickly. Highly recommended!

Spotlight is nice, when it works, but there's always a need for very specific, scoped searching like Find Any File (FAF) provides. FAF is necessarily slow as it looks at files as-need, instead of looking at an index like Spotlight. I prefer this as FAF isn't always running in the background taking up resources like Spotlight's mds process. And since I have an SSD, searching is pretty darn fast with FAF anyways. I mostly use FAF for stuff that Spotlight won't do, like searching inside bundles (applications, frameworks, plugins, etc) to find icons and sounds that Spotlight won't find. Also, FAF has QuickLook, so I can easily see files right in these search results. I usually start by casting a wide net with my FAF searches, then I further filter the results that come up by file extension. Very handy. Overall, I find myself using FAF twice a week or so. It's just nice to know I have it when Spotlight isn't behaving.

Well, I still don't get it. Yes, Spotlight sucks. But any search utility SHOULD work like Google. Search function should be at least as intuitive as Mac.

I've been using this app ever since Apple crippled search with Spotlight. I've tried competitors from time to time, but always come back to Find Any File. I have it set up to launch using a universal keystroke (CNTRL+OPT+CMD+F), and use it several times a week. The only time I use Spotlight is when I need to search content, and I rarely do that. It's worth every penny of it's totally reasonable price. Love it.

Best! Spotlight refuses to search ~/Library/Preferences Find Any File searches! OS 10.8.5

The best search app I have found for the mac. I like the interface of EasyFind better, but when I tried using it it found every file except the main .app file. Find Any File finds them all.

Sheesh! I don't know where you guys are coming from. Mac's search ability is the OS' Achilles heel. Even when I know the exact name, Spotlight, or these third-party alternatives, never bring it to the top of the results list.

Find Any File is by far the best file search utility in my opinion. It is the only app that seems to properly return results that include invisible and system files. I have tried both HoudaSpot and Tembo. Because both of those apps use spotlight indexes, their results are just as limited as those from spotlight.

A must have app. for finding or uninstalling anything on your Mac.

The terminal command to insure that root is always in is simple and easy to do as the Developer explained everything in the Help section.

Great little app, highly recommended.

Charging to use beta software. Not good. Easy Find is free and does it all, too. Perhaps even more.

AMAZING! I have been looking for a program like this! Finder is not so great for external HD or even my internal Hd for that matter.

WonderfulApp that I use frequently to find files that I can't find with Spotlight. The Option to find files using the option key is a Godsend.This is a great 5 star application that every Mac user should have.

I discovered this app after 1 hr of searching google on a way to search time machine. thanks for a terrific app.

I like the new ability to exclude folders from current and future search. FYI: When a folder shows up in the search results that you want to exclude, right click and select Reveal in Finder, then open FAF prefs and drag the folder from the Finder window to the Special Folders window in prefs.

This can currently be registered for as little as $1 via the StackSocial "Double Down" bundle (expires June 21st): https://stacksocial.com/sales/the-double-down-mac-bundle

I've been using this app since before Spotlight, and since Spotlight, I've been using it when Spotlight thinks it knows better than I do (bad habit of Apple's) where I want to search, and what I want to see in my search results. Just discovered some recent (?) update included a programmable global hotkey, and now I'm in love all over again. I've tried alternatives from time to time, and even kept EasyFind for deep drill-downs (e.g., file contents of invisible files). But Find Any File is

New features are very helpful, thanks!

This search engine is the absolute best. I also appreciate the fact that I could download the latest version at no cost and get out from underneath Apple's restrictions on the application and extremely lengthly update availability.

Sherlock is back!

Absolutely the best!!! Use the hierarchical view and you can even access folders that the system would otherwise not allow you to look at (and change as long as you are the administrator) without having to log in as the root user. This app is a no-brainer as to whether to buy... and it's fast! MUCH better than Spotlight is so many ways. Well worth the money.

Brilliant little app. The best way to find or uninstall anything on a Mac. Thanks to the developer.

I've tried numerous search utilities and always end up disappointed. Either the utility doesn't find al the files, misses invisible file or stays away from the System Folder. Find Any File shines in all every failures of the other utilities I have tried. I have no problem paying a measly $6.00 for an application that does what it claims to do. I even own HoudaSpot and for the money much prefer Find Any File. Kudos and Keep up the great work...

I've noticed too late (after I already paid for), that the network search is uncomfortably slow.

For what it's worth, I just tried the same test search on my HD with the same text string, with EasyFind, IFileX and Find Any File. EasyFind missed around a quarter of the files the other two found (same search results) Both IFileX and Find Any File have the option of lists or hierarchical views, EasyFind just presents a list of files located. I guess it's a case of finding the app that suits you, but for me, IFileX works best for me, and it's free. Perhaps the best way to see is to try all 3 and see which works best for your needs.

tested it and - don't know whether i'm missing sth - could not create criteria with "containing any of ..." condition

Works great in ML too!! Love the hierarchical view. Reminds me of UltraFind (for OS Classic) which was waaaaaaay ahead of its time. All it needed was reindexing like Spotlight has. For the price this is a MUST HAVE!

Best of it's kind. The new search criteria is very helpful. Didn't expect it could get much better but it has.

Seems the "contains phrase" menu overlaps the text field adjacent. Love the new search criteria BTW.

Well done. just two comments/suggestions: 1.) should include metadata/tags as search criteria field to make it more useful (at least to me). 2.) should 'hide', rather than 'show', default search results for invisibles, package contents and trash.

FAF is one of the best and most useful tools out there. I purchased it directly from Tempel so they would not have to pay the 30% premium. I am running 1.7.2 and when I check for updates it says 1.7.2 is the newest version available. Do I need to download it directly from Tempel or MacUpdate?

Find Any File is without question THE BEST app of it's type available for the Mac, and I've tried several for both Mac Leopard and Lion OS. I've been using FAF for about a month now and I find myself using it several times every day. It's just straight-forward easy to use and it finds what I'm looking for within seconds. Just a great app overall. I rarely donate for applications because I generally find faults with them. The developer of FAF asks for two levels of donation if you find the app useful, the standard donation of $6 or the generous donation of $15. I donated $15 because it's really that good. If you are interested in quickly finding files by name on your MacBook Air running Lion (my current setup), this is a must-have application.

What about the App Store? No mention here and only briefly mentioned on developer's web page.

Wow. 4 days after a reviewer complains about not being able to search app size an update is posted to add those functions. Nice work.

FAF does exactly what it promises and does so better than any other app of its kind. Fast, accurate and endlessly useful.

New version seems faster. I like this app. Never misses a file. I use it a lot to uninstall apps that leave a lot of junk behind just by defining new or modified files from the previous few minutes, that is, when I quickly realize I want to remove it. Searching by name, visibility or mixing other criteria in with a search is also quick and easy.

Not a big fan of the GUI but it is fast finding files even when Spotlight is disabled. Good app.

Tried it, deleted it. It most certainly didn't find the files I was looking (I knew the files exists but wanted to test drive). Especially searching files with filesizes is a no-go. Hence all applications and folders are marked as '-' (0 kb). So what is the use when you cannot search for folders and/or applications? Also locked up several time with the rainbow spinning wheel when trying to use more then 4 queries (first becoming unresponsive and then locks up).

I agree with lemon-kun, Find Any File works very well finding app specific files for uninstalling. As well, in my experience, FAF is quick and thorough and easy to use. And it's affordable, offering real value for the money. Development is active, providing for compatibility and feature enhancements. When Spotlight falls down, FAT stands up.

I use this app for years, very good. For me, this is the best uninstaller – type in app name, hold down the option (alt) key and click "Find all". Then easily delete all the stuff directly in the list using cmd+backspace. Worth every cent.

I like Find Any File a lot, and use it in conduction with other tools. It will not teach you to construct meaningful searches, but doesn't claim to. It is under constant development and always getting better.

Sorry to say but this app doesnt work very well at all. Just try to find any file with a filesize set bigger then 100000. It doesnt find any .app file that should be shown - it only shows the files inside the package. Mostly useless imo Also, the UI freezes when searching, most probably because this was written in realbasic. The result window is also not that great to look at - too simple (read: outdated) Said this, it works for simple filename searching but paying for this is not recommended.

Starts very slowly on first launch in Lion.

Just what I looked for. Couldn't get Spotlight to index my disk connected at the APX. Find Any File solved it for me. Thanks!

How does one search for a whole word that's part of a file name? In my case I was looking for a file with the word "hi" in its title. What FAF found was all the file names that contained those two letters i.e., thing, white, child, high, etc.

When is 1.6.1 going to be made available to the app store?