Features

Every detail that goes into
finding a file by name

Nothing here is filler. Every capability serves the same end: getting you to that file faster.

Instant search

As you type, with no submit button

A live demo beats a thousand words — this is what you see after pressing ⌥Space.

Locseek Interactive demo
NamePathSizeModifiedCreatedKind
0 items · ms 10,000 demo files indexed · Up to date

↑ Type in it. Live filtering of 10,000 generated file names in your browser — not an app screenshot.

Matches highlight instantly

Every keystroke narrows the list, and the matching fragment lights up inside the file name.

Searchable while scanning

Your everyday folders are searchable before the first full index finishes. No waiting.

Speed you can see

The status bar shows the result count and how long this search took — every single time.

Query syntax

One line, and the results narrow

Beyond keywords, describe exactly what you want with operators. They autocomplete as you type, get syntax-coloured, and show up as visual filter chips.

ext:pdf report date:today !draft # PDF reports touched today, drafts excluded (date: and ! are Pro)

Precision in the free tier

  • Multiple keywords mean all of them must match; case-insensitive
  • ext:pdf by extension
  • under:"/Users/you/Documents/Work" pins results to one exact folder tree, never catching Work-old. It needs an absolute path — pasting the full path from Finder is the fastest way
  • hidden: / package: to look only at hidden items, or only inside bundles

Advanced queries PRO

  • kind:image by kind (image / video / audio / document / archive / code / application / folder)
  • size:>100mb comparisons and ranges a..b
  • date:today / >2026-01 by modification time
  • in:Projects path contains; ! exclude; | or; * wildcard
  • /^IMG_\d{4}\.jpg$/ regex; append c for case sensitivity

It learns your habits PRO

Learned ranking floats the files you open often — and the ones you open repeatedly from the same query — closer to the top. Frequently used queries can be pinned for one-step access.

That data lives only on this Mac and never goes online. Turn it off or wipe it in Settings at any time — it serves you, it does not belong to us.

Full syntax reference with every example →

Keyboard flow

From summon to Finder without leaving the keys

STEP 1

⌥Space to summon

Rebind the global hotkey to whatever you like. It lives in the menu bar, ready whenever you are.

STEP 2

Type +

Results narrow instantly; arrow keys select, -click extends the selection.

STEP 3

Space to preview

System Quick Look, right there. Confirm it is the one before you open it.

STEP 4

⌘Return to land

Reveal in Finder, or Return to open. It delivers you, then gets out of the way.

All shortcuts →

1s
From a file changing to being searchable (p95 over a 120-minute churn sample)
0 errors
Zero divergence after that sample of heavy creates, renames and deletes
24MB
Physical memory just after launch, before indexing; wider scope costs more
Power-safe
Reopen after an unexpected shutdown and the index is intact
Live index

You just moved that file — it already knows

It watches every change in the locations you granted: created, renamed, moved, deleted — searchable moments later. No manual refresh, no scheduled rebuilds.

  • Every corner you granted is remembered — hidden files and the inside of .app bundles are in scope by default
  • Cloud-only placeholder files in iCloud and friends: names only, never a sneaky download — no bandwidth, no disk. Note that cloud file names are excluded from results by default and Pro can allow them in Settings — worth reading first
  • A location going offline (drive unplugged, NAS down) is not a deletion: the app tells you to reconnect or re-authorize, and restores those results automatically
  • Even after an unexpected restart, everything is intact when you reopen — no starting over

Performance figures come from internal benchmarking on an Intel MacBook Pro 2018 and vary with hardware and data volume.

No fuss

It will not interrupt your work to do its own

The easiest mistake a search tool can make is asking you to worry about its index. Locseek keeps all of that backstage.

Change a setting, this search changes

Hidden items, package contents, exclusions, narrowing to a location — the change applies to the search in front of you immediately. No rescan, no index rewrite, no "waiting for settings to take effect". Relax a setting again and the complete results come straight back.

That status-bar number is real

It always means "items you can actually search right now". It does not drop to zero during a scan or masquerade as a progress bar; building or rebuilding is stated in words rather than letting the digits jitter.

Housekeeping only while you're idle

Index consolidation no longer competes with your foreground work on a timer — it waits until you step away. Background event storms are collapsed first, then evaluated.

Unplugged is not deleted

When an external drive, NAS or network share goes offline, those entries step out of the results while your grant and your intent are kept. They return on reconnect; if the authorization itself lapsed, the UI hands you a "re-authorize" button.

Small conveniences that add up

An empty search field offers recent searches, recently opened files, and four one-click quick searches: hidden items, package contents, images, PDFs. Operators complete on Tab (exext:), and frequent queries can be pinned.

No trip back to the search field

Type while the result list has focus and the characters flow back into the search field. On the first row, returns you to the field. Right-click any result to "Search in This Folder" and narrow in one step.

Locseek Pro

When three folders cannot hold your world

The free tier covers any combination of Desktop, Documents and Downloads. Pro takes the same speed and accuracy from "a few folders" to "any location".

Search anywhere

The entire startup disk, any folder, external drives, USB sticks, NAS and network shares — all in one instant index. It requires no additional permissions.

The full query language

kind:, regex, size, date, path, exclusions, OR and wildcards. The result limit goes from 1,000 up to a configurable 30,000.

Ranking and scope, yours

Learned ranking lifts your frequent files; you decide what gets excluded — including allowing cloud file names and app private data, which additionally need Full Disk Access. All of it can be switched off and wiped.