In Finder you either click through folders or add search criteria one by one. Locseek is easier: type and go straight to the file.
Where did you put that contract? In Documents? Or did you copy it to an external drive last time?
In Finder there are two ways. If you remember the location, you click through folder after folder. If you don't, you search, then add criteria one by one.
Locseek saves you those steps: type "contract" and the files come up with their locations.
Illustration: looking for a file with "contract" in the name. The file names are examples.
If you remember the location, you click through folder after folder. If you don't, you search in the Finder window, then narrow the results by adding criteria one by one with the add button.
SourceApple's Mac User Guide explains that after searching in Finder, you click the add button and choose criteria one by one to narrow the results.
Which folder and which drive it is on is shown beside the result, so you don't have to remember it first.
SourceEvery Locseek result has a Path column; the sidebar groups results by location, and one click shows only that folder.
⌥Space brings up the window, you type, arrow keys pick, Return opens. No mouse.
Source4 steps: ⌥Space to summon, type, arrow keys to pick, Return to open. Also Space for Quick Look and ⌘Return for Show in Finder.
"5.5 ms" and "about 1 second" come from an internal test of version 1.6.0 on an Intel MacBook Pro 2018: 30 minutes, 1,800 create, rename and delete operations. The first is the time of the query itself, the second the time from a file change to it being searchable. Both vary with hardware and file count. How each number was measured →
| Locseek | Finder | |
|---|---|---|
| What it searches | File and folder names only; never file contents | Names, contents and attributes, provided by Spotlight |
| Where results come from | Its own name index, updated as files change | Each volume's own Spotlight index |
| External drives, USB sticks, NAS | ✓ Add once and search; names stay searchable after unplugging (Pro) | Depends on each volume's index; the drive must be connected |
| Internet connection | None; no account | — |
| Price | Free tier; Pro yearly or one-time | Part of macOS |
Written by the developer of Locseek. Facts about Finder come from Apple's Mac User Guide page on narrowing search results in Finder and Apple's support article on Spotlight indexing, checked 10 November 2026. We have not timed the two side by side, so this page makes no speed ranking. Finder is a trademark of Apple Inc.; Locseek is not affiliated with Apple.
No, and it does not need to. Finder is for browsing and organising files, and has its own search; Locseek only finds a file by its name, with results as you type. Once found, Show in Finder is one step away.
Finder search uses Spotlight, which keeps a separate index on every volume. If indexing is off or unfinished, or the server does not support it, the search comes back empty. Locseek Pro builds its own name index for each location you add.
With Locseek Pro, yes. Indexed names stay searchable and are marked Not connected, so you know which drive to plug in.
Faster · More precise · Covers more · Easier · Safer
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