HoudahSpot‘s core feature is to give quick access to the files you need. But there are many paths that lead to the same goal. And there are many more tasks you can get done using HoudahSpot than just finding files.
Discover new or more efficient ways to let this Mac search tool work for you – here are some of our favorite tips and tricks for HoudahSpot 4.
Find Large Files
Your hard disk is, suddenly, almost full and you want to find the culprit? Search for large files that were added recently. The post on finding large files includes a downloadable, pre-configured HoudahSpot search.
Create a CSV List of Files and Metadata
With HoudahSpot, you can export a CSV list of files containing all the file metadata information you need. The CSV list file can be imported into spreadsheet applications like Apple Numbers or Microsoft Excel. For more information on how to create file lists, go to the respective post.
Find E-Mails in Apple Mail
If you’re having trouble finding e-mail messages in Apple Mail, try HoudahSpot’s pre-configured e-mail search template located under “Templates” > “Sample Templates”. Check out this post to find out more.
Search the Current Finder Folder
You can install a HoudahSpot “droplet” in your Finder toolbar. When clicked, it starts a HoudahSpot search in the currently selected finder folder. There’s also a “droplet” available for CocoaTech’s Path Finder application. Details can be found here.
Find by Example: Find Similar Files
HoudahSpot’s “Find by Example” feature lets you search using a file that has something in common with the files you are looking for. For more information on how to use find by example, go to this post.
Narrow Down Searches Using the Info Pane
This is another way to tell HoudahSpot: “Show me only files like this one”: Simply tick the appropriate metadata info in a file’s info pane. Click here for more details.
Find Files without Tags
When organizing files, we sometimes need to find files that have not yet been tagged. To find such files, we make use of the * asterisk wildcard character. Further instructions can be found in this post.