Find MacOS Files by Extension

The default search form in HoudahSpot lets you to search for files by name, text content and content kind.

When you know the type of the file you are looking for, you may want to search by file extension.

Let’s say, you want to search for .png files. Here is how:

1. Click the pop-up menu that is currently set to “Content Kind” and select “File Extension”
2. Type “png” in the form field on the same row

Do you frequently search by file extension? Wouldn’t it be convenient if the “File Extension” search was available by default?

Here’s how to customize the default setup of your HoudahSpot searches:

1. Select File > New Search to create a new window
2. Click the “+” button to the right of “Content Kind” to add a new row
3. Change the row to search by “File Extension”
4. Do not fill in a file extension
5. Select File > Save as Default

From now on, new HoudahSpot windows will be based off the search you have just set up. They will include a “File Extension” criterion.

You can also customize the pop-up menus to include search criteria you use repeatedly:

1. Select File > New Search to create a new window
2. Click the “Content Kind” menu and select “Other…”
3. In the list of search attributes, add a checkmark next to the one you want in the menus
4. Click OK
5. Select File > Save as Default

To revert to the factory default:

1. Select HoudahSpot > Preferences
2. Activate the General tab
3. Select “Factory Default” for the “Create new search documents from” option