Mac OS X's Finder: The Most Important Tweak to Make Search Function

Apple has made some decisions with Finder that some users might find a bit annoying. So, for instance, if you just open Finder and you hit command + F you get this window by default:

This is a completely useless result. On my Mac the search in fact chokes because so many results are found. This is almost always not what you want in a search result. So, you have to follow these steps to solve the issue and bring some sanity to Finder.

First, you need to change "search the current folder" setting in the Finder advanced preferences.






















Next when you wish to search for something use the shortcut command + shift + F. This will set the scope of your search to the current folder you are in, and will set the criterion to "file name". Your search window should now look like the image below. Finally, Finder's search can actually return results that are helpful! Let me know if you have any favourite Finder tips.