Find Any File overview

Find Any File searches your local and network disks for files by name, creation or modification date, size or kind.

As there are other tools with a similar search operation, here are the special features unique to Find Any File:

Has a new hierarchical view of the found items, making it much easier to browse 100s of items (see the screenshot).
Can run as root user, finding really any file on your disk, even those that are hidden from normal users.
Can save queries and run them again later.

Unlike Spotlight (i.e., the Finder's Find command), it does not access a pre-built database but searches the chosen volume directly. This allows you to find any file, even those inside packages and others excluded from Spotlight search. Hence it is great for finding system files, for example.

On the other hand, it may take a little longer than Spotlight, and it is only fast on HFS(+) volumes. But even on mounted network volumes of a Mac OS X server it can still be surprisingly fast.

Hence, this is not an entire replacement for Spotlight but it can come handy in certain, if not many, situations.

What's new in version 2.6.1

Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.

View older Find Any File versions

4.6

(176 Reviews of Find Any File)

Comments
User Ratings

Derekcurrie

Dec 28, 2024

2.5.3

5.0

Version: 2.5.3

v2.5.4 is out. What Apple destroyed in Spotlight lives on in the excellent Find Any File. Sanity restored! The Mac search engine for power users. 😍

Aargl

Oct 30, 2024

I use both EasyFind and Find Any File, each for slightly different purposes and I like both. The only things worth saying is that Find Any File is constantly updated while EasyFind hasn't been in more than 3 years now, but EasyFind is free.

Jun 1, 2023

2.4

Version: 2.4

App Warz! There's a blatant app war between users of 'EasyFind' and 'Find Any File' whereby BOTH are outrageously downvoted in the 'Similar Apps' list on each of their pages. At the moment, 'Find Any File' is downvoted to -18 on the 'EasyFind' page, which is a sick absurdity. 'EasyFind' is currently downvoted to -10 over at the 'Find Any File' page, which is idiotic. The archaic abandonware 'DiskTracker' rates better on both pages, which is of course total nonsense. CHECK OUT BOTH 'EasyFind' AND 'Find Any File'! BOTH have their uses and both are free to use, providing FAR better results than Apple's hobbled and blundering Spotlight. So: Cut the App Warz crap! Seriously.

RogerKatz

Dec 30, 2021

2.3.1

0.0

Version: 2.3.1

The current version at the Mac App Store is 2.3.2

Baristabrian

Feb 9, 2021

2.2.1

Version: 2.2.1

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.