How to use Smart Folders on a Mac
Updated
A Smart Folder is a saved Finder search that looks like a folder. It never holds files; it shows whatever matches its rules each time you open it. Set up a few once and you skip the same searches every week.
Create one
- In Finder, choose File, then New Smart Folder.
- Choose where to search: This Mac or the current folder.
- Click the plus button to add a rule. Pick an attribute, such as Kind, Name or Created date, then a condition.
- Add more rules. A file must match all of them.
- Click Save, name the folder and keep Add To Sidebar ticked.
Smart Folders are saved as small files in ~/Library/Saved Searches. Deleting a Smart Folder deletes only the search, never the files it shows.
Edit or remove one
Open the Smart Folder, then right-click inside the window, or click the action button in the toolbar, and choose Show Search Criteria. Change the rules and click Save. To remove it from the sidebar, right-click it and choose Remove from Sidebar.
Use Any, All and None
By default every rule must match. Hold the Option key and the plus button changes to an ellipsis. Clicking it adds a group of rules with a menu for Any, All or None. Use Any for “PDF or Word document”, and None to exclude something, such as files in an Archive folder.
Recipes worth saving
| Smart Folder | Rules |
|---|---|
| Big videos | Kind is Movie, and File Size is greater than 1 GB |
| PDFs this week | Kind is PDF, and Created date is this week |
| Screenshots | Kind is Image, and Name begins with Screenshot |
| Tax documents | Tags contains Tax, and Created date is this year |
| Old installers | Name ends with .dmg, or Name ends with .pkg (use an Any group) |
| Not opened in a year | Last opened date is before a date a year ago |
Attributes such as File Size and Tags are under Other in the rule menu if they are not listed. Tick In Menu to keep them handy.
Limits to know
- Smart Folders use the Spotlight index, so they cannot see excluded folders or drives that are not indexed.
- They are only on the Mac where you made them. They do not sync through iCloud Drive.
- Some apps cannot open a Smart Folder in their open dialog, because it is not a real folder.
- You cannot save files into a Smart Folder.
Skip the rule building with FileSift
A Smart Folder is great for a search you repeat. For one-off questions, FileSift lets you type the search in everyday words, such as pdfs from last week or videos over 2 GB, and shows the filters it understood, much like the rules in a Smart Folder, so you can adjust one without starting again. Results show as large thumbnails with Quick Look on Space. Many people use both: Smart Folders for the few searches they run weekly, plain-English search for everything else.
Common questions
Do Smart Folders take up space?
No. They are saved searches of a few kilobytes and hold no copies of files.
Can a Smart Folder search an external drive?
Yes, if the drive is indexed by Spotlight and connected when you open the Smart Folder.
Related guides
- How to search for files on a Mac
- How to find files by tag on a Mac
- How to find PDFs from last week on a Mac
- Finder vs FileSift: what each one is for
- How to find and delete duplicate files on a Mac
More in How-to guides, or see all guides.