Best File Locator Pro alternative for Mac in 2025

You moved to a Mac and still think like a Windows power user. You remember the clause inside a PDF, the VAT ID in a scan, the timestamp in a meeting recording, not the filename. Finder and Spotlight show you files, not the exact moment you need.

This is where Fenn comes in for Apple Silicon Macs. Fenn finds the moment, not the file. It searches inside PDFs, slides, screenshots, audio, and video, then opens at the exact page, frame, or timestamp. Privacy comes first with on device indexing by default and an optional cloud for speed and scale.

Quick verdict

If you relied on File Locator Pro on Windows and now work on macOS, Fenn is the closest match for power search habits, with a key advantage on Mac: it recognizes text inside scanned PDFs and images and jumps you straight to the right page.

File Locator Pro vs Fenn

Note: File Locator Pro is a strong tool on Windows. If you are now on macOS, Fenn is designed to fill that role with Mac specific advantages.

Why former File Locator Pro users struggle on Mac

• You rely on content search, not just filenames and metadata

• Your work spans long PDFs, slide decks, screenshots, and scans

• You want a jump to result workflow from the keyboard

• You care about privacy and prefer on device processing

Traditional Mac tools often stop at the file level. With scans there is no text layer, so many searches return nothing.

What you gain switching to Fenn on Mac

• Moment level precision that opens at the exact page, frame, or timestamp

• Cross media recall that covers PDFs, images, audio, and video

• On device by default indexing for privacy sensitive work

• Apple Silicon performance with fast indexing and low latency search

• Keyboard first flow that fits power user habits

Mini example: scanned PDF that other tools miss

You receive a 240 page supplier pack exported as a scanned PDF. Every page is an image. You need the line that mentions ISO 27001 Annex A.12 and the VAT ID to finish a compliance check.

What typical Mac tools do

• Finder and Spotlight return zero results because the PDF has no text layer

• Other utilities point to the file but cannot search inside the images without a separate OCR step

What happens in Fenn

• Fenn indexes the pack on device and recognizes text inside the scanned pages

• You search for ISO 27001 Annex A.12 or a VAT pattern like FR12345678901 in Keyword or Hybrid mode

• Fenn returns the scanned PDF with page level snippets from inside the images

• Press Enter and Fenn opens the document at the exact page with the hit highlighted

Result

• Manual method: 15 to 30 minutes of skimming

• With Fenn: search, result, and jump to page in under 30 seconds

How to migrate your File Locator Pro workflow to Fenn

1. Choose sources to index
   Add your work folders, research drives, and project archives.

2. Index content locally
   Fenn extracts searchable content from documents, images, audio, and video. Everything runs on your Mac by default.

3. Search with a shortcut
   Use Keyword for literal terms and IDs. Use Semantic for concepts. Hybrid mixes both.

4. Open at the moment
   Jump to the exact PDF page, slide, image text location, audio timestamp, or video frame.

5. Scale up when needed
   Enable optional cloud indexing to accelerate very large libraries while staying in control.

Common workflows for ex Windows power users

• Contracts and discovery
  Search clauses across large PDF bundles and open at the page.

• Finance and compliance
  Find VAT IDs, IBANs, and certificate codes inside scanned PDFs and screenshots.

• Product and engineering
  Search requirements in slide decks, UX screenshots, and recorded reviews, then jump to the timestamp.

• Research and study
  Recall a figure caption or quote and open the precise page inside a long paper.

Quick start checklist

• Install Fenn and select your highest value folders

• Let the first index run while you work

• Map Fenn to a convenient hotkey so it becomes your default search

• Keep indexing on device for privacy first, turn on cloud later if needed for speed

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Related guides

• Mac search for lawyers: find the clause, not the file

• Manage academic PDFs on Mac without losing the page