Be honest. What do you think of macOS’s searching capabilities? Do you find it to be fast or frustrating? The answer to that question will determine whether or not you should consider HoudahSpot, which bills itself as “powerful file search” for macOS.
For me, personally, searching for local files in macOS is like finding an oasis in the desert. In only the rarest of instances has macOS returned results I am interested in. In the other 98.9% instances, returned results from the Finder or Spotlight are questionable at best and frustrating at worst.
I mean, if I can’t easily find what I’m searching for on my Mac, what’s the point?
My frustration with Apple’s approach to local file search led me towards HoudahSpot (currently at version 6).
HoudahSpot is a dedicated macOS app that makes local file search the way it should be: fast and focused. When you launch HoudahSpot for the first time, you’re presented with a two-pane window. Above the two panes is a search bar.
The left-most window pane contains two main categories: Refine and Location. The Refine section contains options to further modify your search parameters, while Location specifies the storage devices / folders you want HoudahSpot to use.
Here’s how HoudahSpot works:
Simply enter your search term in the Search bar. The results will appear in HoudahSpot’s right window pane. Toggle options in HoudahSpot’s left window pane to further refine your search, by way of file extension, date, text content, tags or a combination of the above.
Below the refinement parameters is Location, where users can select the search location for HoudahSpot to use. You can optionally exclude locations from HoudahSpot’s search as well. To view your results, simply tap your spacebar on the selected file. Or, alternatively, right-click on the file result you’re interested in, and HoudahSpot can reveal its location in the Finder.
In my testing, HoudahSpot’s results have been both fast and accurate. If that’s where the functionality of this app ended, I would be satisfied. But HoudahSpot does much, much more.
HoudahSpot can search for text content within specific files. No more having to open 50 Word documents to find the one that contains “Invoice”. HoudahSpot also lets you search image files by name and size, which is a huge boon for me, as I deal with images and design files all day long.
HoudahSpot not only shows you your search results, it also includes powerful tools for sharing your search results. My selected Search results can be copied as Tab Delimited, File Paths, or Names. For example, if I want to gather my HoudahSpot Search results and paste them into an Excel spreadsheet, it’s just a matter of Copy-Paste. Try doing that, Spotlight!
Power users will find great use for HoudahSpot’s Templates, which can be used for frequently used searches, or as blueprints to create new searches. For example, I periodically search for PSD files that are 5100px wide from within the past week; I’ve saved that search query as a Template for future use.
Extensibility is another one of HoudahSpot’s benefits. I can start HoudahSpot searches from Raycast, Alfred, Launchbar and more.
HoudahSpot 6 gives your Mac powerful and customizable Search capabilities that go well beyond finding files. It’s incredibly easy to use and produces search results that are both fast and accurate. The one minor disappointment I have with HoudahSpot is that it no longer searches Apple Mail message files. This isn’t the developer’s fault: Apple Mail has stopped supporting plugins with macOS Sonoma.
HoudahSpot 6 is available from Houdah Software for $34US + tax for a single user license on unlimited computers. If you’re coming from an older version of HoudahSpot, upgrades are $19US + tax. Family, site licenses, and student pricing are also available.
This looks like a powerful app — too powerful, if that makes any sense. I mean too complicated for its core function: finding stuff. I have to deal with many, many layers of complexity across many apps for major purposes… like creating graphics, designing and coding my website, etc. I don’t need another set of complex templates and procedures clogging my brain, for a relatively minor function like finding files, folders, or strings of text on my Mac.
Also, I use three free apps for finding files & folders: Apple’s Spotlight (which the article mentioned), EasyFind, and Find Any File. They’re all simple and usually adequate; they each have their advantages and limitations. I don’t need to pay for this function.
Hot tip: The biggest problem I’ve had with Spotlight is that it often finds my backup files alongside the originals with the same names, but I don’t want to open the backups. Eventually I learned that when you select one of the found items, simultaneously hold down the Command key: it will show you the filepath at the window’s bottom (or as much of it as will fit) which often reveals which is the original vs. the backup dupes.
L.San (at Sanstudio.com)