Find a folder by name on a Mac when Spotlight only shows files

21 September 2026 · 6 min read

To find a folder by name on a Mac, open Spotlight with Command-Space and type kind:folder followed by part of the name, for example kind:folder invoices. Spotlight then shows only folders, not the hundreds of files that happen to share the word. Press Command-Return on a result to reveal it in Finder.

That works for folders in your own files. If the folder is somewhere Spotlight does not look, or you need every match rather than the top few, the Finder and Terminal methods below go further.

Why folder searches go wrong

A plain Spotlight search for “invoices” returns documents that mention invoices, emails, messages and web suggestions, ranked by what Spotlight thinks is most relevant. The folder called Invoices can easily sit below the fold or be grouped under a heading you scrolled past.

There are two separate problems. The first is noise: too many results that are not folders. The second is coverage: Spotlight deliberately skips system areas, hidden folders, your Library folder and any location that has been excluded in its privacy settings. The fixes are different, so it helps to know which one you have.

Method 1: Spotlight with a kind filter

Spotlight accepts a handful of filters typed straight into the search field. kind:folder limits results to folders. You can combine it with the name:

• kind:folder tax finds folders with “tax” in the name.
• kind:folder 2025 finds year folders.

This is the fastest route for folders in your home area, Documents, Desktop, iCloud Drive and connected drives that Spotlight indexes. If a folder you know exists does not appear, that is a coverage problem; see Spotlight cannot find a file you know exists for the usual causes.

Method 2: a Finder search set to folders

Finder’s search gives you a full list, not just the top hits, and lets you save it.

1. Open a Finder window and press Command-F.
2. Under “Search:”, click This Mac (or the current folder, if you know roughly where it is).
3. In the first rule, choose Kind and set it to Folder.
4. Click the plus button to add a second rule, choose Name, set it to contains, and type part of the folder name.

You now have every folder whose name contains your text, in a sortable list. Add the Date Modified column from View, Show View Options if you are looking for a recent one. If the list is useful, click Save to turn it into a Smart Folder that stays current.

When you already know the rough area, searching inside one folder cuts the noise further; search inside one folder only on a Mac covers how to make Finder stop defaulting to This Mac.

Method 3: jump straight there if you know the path

Sometimes you do not need to search at all. In Finder, press Shift-Command-G to open Go to Folder, then start typing a path such as ~/Documents/Cli. Press Tab to complete the name, just as in Terminal. Return takes you there.

Go to Folder also reaches places Finder normally hides, such as ~/Library, which is often where people are looking when they are told to “find the folder” for an app’s settings.

Two other shortcuts are easy to forget. Finder’s Go menu has Recent Folders, which lists the last folders you opened. And in any Open or Save dialog, the same Shift-Command-G works.

Method 4: Terminal, for places Spotlight skips

When the folder might be in a hidden, excluded or system location, the find command walks the disk itself instead of consulting an index.

To search your home folder for any folder with “backup” in its name, ignoring case:

find ~ -type d -iname "*backup*" 2>/dev/null

• -type d means directories only.
• -iname matches the name without caring about capitals.
• The asterisks mean “anything before or after”.
• 2>/dev/null hides the permission errors you would otherwise see for protected folders.

Replace ~ with / to search the whole disk, or with /Volumes/DriveName to search one external drive. A whole-disk search can take a while on a large drive. Some protected folders are skipped unless Terminal has Full Disk Access, which is macOS guarding your data rather than a fault.

If you prefer the Spotlight index from the command line, mdfind can do the same query faster but with the same coverage as Spotlight. mdfind: searching a Mac from the Terminal covers it.

When you search by name all day

The methods above are all you need for an occasional search. If finding folders and files by name is a constant part of your day, the gap is speed and coverage together: Spotlight is quick but selective, find is thorough but slow.

Everywhere is a Mac file search that catalogs every file on the Mac once, then answers as you type. It searches names and paths, so the name of the folder you want is part of what it matches, and the path: operator narrows results to a particular location, for example path:clients invoices. Command-Return reveals a result in Finder and Command-T opens Terminal at that folder. With Full Disk Access it sees the whole disk, and it also lists files on external drives that are currently unplugged, dimmed and naming the drive to connect. It does not search inside file contents.

Finding a file when you only remember part of the name covers matching techniques that apply to folders too.

Questions

Why does Spotlight show files but not the folder I want? It ranks results and may place folders below documents that mention the same word. Add kind:folder to the search. If the folder still does not appear, it is in a location Spotlight does not index.

Can I search for folders on an external drive? Yes. Spotlight and Finder both include connected drives unless they have been excluded in Spotlight’s privacy settings. In Terminal, point find at /Volumes/ followed by the drive’s name.

How do I find an empty folder? In Terminal, find ~ -type d -empty 2>/dev/null lists empty folders in your home folder. Review the list before deleting anything, since some apps expect an empty folder to exist.

How do I find a folder I just created and lost? Finder’s Go menu, Recent Folders, is the quickest check. Otherwise, a Finder search with Kind set to Folder, sorted by Date Created, will show it near the top.