Search by file type in macOS: The complete guide (2025)

If you’ve ever typed “mac search for file type” because you can’t find that one PDF, video, or ZIP on your Mac, you’re in the right place. This guide covers every reliable method on macOS to search by file type using Finder, Spotlight, Smart Folders, and Terminal. We’ll also show a faster, keyboard-first workflow with FileMinutes, an app designed to filter by type, search in specific folders, browse results with arrow keys and more.

Quick answer

• Finder: Open Finder → press Command+F → add filter Kind is PDF or File extension is pdf.
• Spotlight: Press Command+Space → type kind:pdf report.
• Smart Folder: Finder → Command+F → set your filters → Save as Smart Folder for reuse.
• Terminal: mdfind "kMDItemContentTypeTree == 'public.image'" or find ~/Downloads -name "*.pdf".
• Faster option: FileMinutes supports file extensions like .pdf, .xlsx and file categories like .image, .document.

Table of contents

• How to search by file type in Finder
• Spotlight search operators for file types
• Smart Folders: save reusable file-type searches
• Terminal methods (find and mdfind) for power users
• FileMinutes: a faster, focused way to filter by file type
• Troubleshooting: when searches don’t show what you expect
• FAQ
• Wrapping up

How to search by file type in Finder

Finder’s search supports both “Kind” and “File extension” filters. “Kind” is broader (e.g., Images include PNG, JPG, HEIC), while “File extension” targets .pdf, .txt, .zip, etc.

Steps (macOS 12+):

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Choose where to search: open the folder you want to search.
3. Press Command+F to enter search mode.
4. Set the scope in the toolbar: the current folder or “This Mac”.
5. Click the + button to add a filter.
6. From the first dropdown, choose Kind or Other….
   • Kind: pick Image, PDF, Movie, Music, Document, Folder, etc.
   • Other…: search for File extension and set is to pdf (or txt, csv, zip).
7. Combine criteria using the + button for more filters (Name contains, Created date, Tags, etc.).
8. Optional: click Save to create a Smart Folder you can reuse.

Pro tips:

• Show hidden files with Command+Shift+. if needed.
• To include system files, add the System files attribute via Other… and set it to are included.
• Use Name filters like Name contains for quick targeting; for precise extension matches, prefer File extension is ….

Spotlight search operators for file types

Spotlight is fast for quick, typed queries anywhere on your Mac.

How to use:

1. Press Command+Space to open Spotlight.
2. Use the kind: operator:
   • kind:pdf
   • kind:image
   • kind:folder
3. Combine terms for better results, e.g., kind:video 2024.
4. Open a result directly, or press Command+Return to reveal it in Finder.

Useful kinds:

• kind:pdf, kind:image, kind:folder, kind:document, kind:music, kind:movie

You can still search by filename:

• kind:pdf "tax return"

Smart Folders: save reusable file-type searches

Smart Folders let you create saved searches, great for “all PDFs from last 30 days” or “all images in Downloads.”

Create a Smart Folder:

1. Finder → Command+F.
2. Scope to “This Mac” or a specific folder.
3. Add filters (e.g., Kind is PDF; Created date is within last 30 days).
4. Click Save. Choose a name and add it to the Sidebar for one-click access.

Example ideas:

• Kind is Document AND Created date within last 30 days.
• Kind is Image AND Name contains “screenshot” AND Location is Downloads.

Terminal methods (find and mdfind) for power users

If you prefer the command line or need advanced precision, two tools are essential.

A) find (search by name/extension on the filesystem)

# Find PDFs in Downloads
find ~/Downloads -type f -iname "*.pdf"

# Find multiple extensions
find ~/Projects -type f \( -iname "*.docx" -o -iname "*.pdf" \)

# Only folders named "assets"
find ~ -type d -iname "assets"

B) mdfind (uses Spotlight metadata; great for “kind”/UTI)

# All images (any common format)
mdfind "kMDItemContentTypeTree == 'public.image'"

# PDFs system-wide
mdfind "kMDItemContentType == 'com.adobe.pdf'"

# PDFs within a specific folder
mdfind -onlyin ~/Documents "kMDItemContentType == 'com.adobe.pdf'"

# Videos (movies) by UTI tree
mdfind "kMDItemContentTypeTree == 'public.movie'"

Tips:

• If mdfind returns little or nothing, Spotlight may need indexing.
• Use mdls /path/to/file to inspect a file’s metadata and see its content type (UTI).

FileMinutes: a faster, focused way to filter by file type

If you regularly search for file types across multiple folders, FileMinutes offers a quicker, keyboard-first experience.

What makes it faster:

• Targeted folder search: Search exactly where it matters and skip everywhere else.
• File type filtering: Filter by extensions (.pdf, .txt, .csv) or file categories:
  • . - folders only
  • .image - JPG, PNG, HEIC, etc.
  • .document - PDF, DOCX, XLSX, etc.
  • .video - MP4, MOV, etc.
  • .audio - MP3, WAV, etc.
  • .text - TXT, MD, etc.
  • .archive - ZIP, RAR, etc.
• Arrow-key browsing: Move through results and in/out of folders with ↑↓ to browse, → to enter, ← to go back.
• Path navigation: Use Tab/Shift-Tab to move in or out of folders without leaving search bar.
• Content search: Find files by their contents (PDF, Markdown, documents, text).
• QuickLook: Preview with Spacebar; browse photos and folders while preview is open.
• Finder integration: See all open Finder windows and tabs, switch or close them instantly.
• Favorites: Pin frequent folders/files and quickly pick up where you left off.

How file type search works in FileMinutes:

# Filter by extensions
report .pdf .xlsx       # finds PDF or Excel files with “report” in the name

# Show only folders
. report                # shows only folders with “report” in the name

# Search inside a folder
~/Downloads>.image      # shows image files in the Downloads folder

# Combine folder patterns + types
2025>invoice .pdf       # PDFs with “invoice” inside folders matching “2025”

Troubleshooting: when searches don’t show what you expect

• Check your scope: In Finder, confirm you’re searching “This Mac” vs the current folder.
• Use the right filter: “Kind is PDF” vs “File extension is pdf” can return different sets.
• Include system files: Add “System files” via the Other… attributes in Finder and set “are included”.
• Reindex Spotlight (fix missing Spotlight/mdfind results):
  • System Settings → Spotlight → Search Privacy
  • Add your drive, then remove it to trigger reindexing.
  • Or run:

    sudo mdutil -E /

• External drives: Spotlight indexing may be disabled or not yet complete; enable it in Spotlight settings and give it time.
• Hidden files: Toggle visibility in Finder with Command+Shift+..

FAQ

Q: What’s the difference between “Kind” and “File extension” in Finder?
A: “Kind” is a broader category based on the file’s metadata (e.g., Image includes JPG, PNG, HEIC). “File extension” targets the actual suffix (e.g., .jpg). Use “Kind” when you want all images; use “File extension” when you need only .png or .jpg.

Q: How do I search for multiple types at once in Finder?
A: Use grouped criteria. Click the … menu (press Option key which will change + to ...) to create a group that matches “Any” and add multiple lines like “File extension is pdf” or “File extension is docx.” Alternatively, use “Kind is Document” to include many office formats at once.

Q: Can Spotlight search inside the file contents?
A: Yes, Spotlight indexes contents for many file types (PDF, text, some documents). If content searches fail, try reindexing Spotlight and ensure the file type is supported.

Q: How do I find only folders?
A: Finder: Kind is Folder. Spotlight: kind:folder keyword. FileMinutes: use . (dot) to show only folders, e.g., . reports.

Q: Is there a quicker way to preview results?
A: Yes. In Finder or FileMinutes, select a file and press Spacebar to open QuickLook. Use arrow keys to navigate while the preview is open.

Q: What about searching by date?
A: Finder supports “Created date” and “Modified date” filters. Spotlight supports natural ranges like date:today and date:yesterday in some contexts.

Wrapping up

For most users, Finder and Spotlight handle simple “search by file type” tasks, use Kind or file extensions, then save common filters as Smart Folders. For frequent or complex searches, FileMinutes speeds things up with type filters (.pdf, .image, .video, etc.), targeted folder scopes, keyboard navigation, and content search-all in one place. Add it to your toolkit to spend less time hunting and more time working. Check out our complete macOS file workflow guide for more productivity tips.