Finding System Files in Finder

Don’t you hate it when you need to find a .plist settings file or any other file that is in one of the Mac OS system files folders? I do. So here is a little tip on how to do global system files search directly in the Finder.

When you do a regular search directly in any Finder window, you only get results from your home folder. But there is a way of fixing that.

Write anything in the “Search” input field in a Finder window. When you get the search results back, press the “+” icon under the search field.

A Finder search for kext across This Mac, with an arrow pointing at the plus button beside Save that adds a criterion row

Now press the drop-down menu and choose “Other…”

The criterion drop-down open on Name, Contents and dates, with Other at the bottom highlighted

Now you have a plethora of choices of searches to choose from, but the one we want is “System files – Include system files, such as preference files and plug-ins.” Just enable it by clicking on the “In Menu” tick box.

The search attribute picker scrolled to System files, described as including preference files and plug-ins, with its In Menu box ticked Click the OK button to save the changes.

How To Use the System Files Search in Finder

Now every time you need to search for a file in the system in Finder, just press the “+” icon and choose “System files.” The window will show “aren’t included” as standard, but just select “are included” and Finder will search all your system files.

The finished search row reading System files, its menu switched from aren’t included to are included

Uses?

  • Well, if you need to reset an application’s settings, just search for the .plist file for that specific application and delete and you’re back to “as new.” (granted, this is if you know what you are doing.)
  • Find unnecessary files from applications you’ve deleted.

So there you go, now you can search everything directly from the Mac OS Finder.