Search for Keywords on Mac (Spotlight, Preview & Fenn)

Why searching for words on a Mac often disappoints

You rarely remember a filename. You remember a phrase, a clause, a figure on a page. Spotlight and Finder are great at locating files by name, but they struggle when you need a specific word inside a long PDF, a stack of notes, or a meeting recording.

Use the built-ins first. When they hit their limits, switch to Fenn to jump straight to the exact page or timestamp.

Method 1: Spotlight basics

Spotlight is fast for file names and some content types.

Steps:

1. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight.

2. Type a word or phrase.

3. Use the arrow keys to preview results.

4. Press Enter to open the selected file.

Good for:

• Apps, file names, recent documents.

Limitations:

• Tends to emphasize names and metadata over deep content.

• Misses text in many PDFs, scans, images, audio, and video transcripts.

Method 2: Finder search across folders

Finder lets you search across a folder or your entire Mac and add filters.

Steps:

1. Open Finder.

2. Press Command + F to start a search.

3. Click This Mac to search everywhere or select a specific folder.

4. Type your keyword in the search bar.

5. Click the + button to add filters like Kind, Created date, or File size.

6. Open promising files and use Command + F inside them to find occurrences.

Good for:

• Narrowing by file type and location.

Limitations:

• Results often stop at the file. You still need to open files and hunt inside.

• Content coverage is inconsistent, especially with large or scanned PDFs.

Method 3: Preview to search inside a single PDF

Preview is reliable for text that is already selectable.

Steps:

1. Open the PDF in Preview.

2. Press Command + F and type your word or phrase.

3. Use the sidebar of matches to jump between hits on different pages.

Good for

• One PDF with selectable text.

Limitations:

• Scanned PDFs and images often have no selectable text.

• You still have to open documents one by one to search them.

The problem these tools cannot solve

• You need the match, not just the file.

• Your archive spans PDFs, slides, screenshots, notes, audio, and video.

• Some files are scanned or contain text in images.

• Opening and scrubbing multiple files is slow and error prone.

Solve it with Fenn: find the moment, not the file

Fenn searches inside your content and opens directly at the right place.

What Fenn searches:

• PDFs and documents including text inside many scans and images.

• Slides and screenshots so diagrams and labels are discoverable.

• Audio and video with matches that open at the correct timestamp or frame.

Privacy:

• On-device by default for privacy.

• Optional cloud indexing for speed and scale if you choose it.

Performance:

• Built for Apple Silicon on macOS.

• Semantic, Keyword, Hybrid (Semantic + Hybrid) and Exact modes to match how you remember things.

Fenn walkthrough

One time setup

1. Install and open Fenn.

2. Choose sources to index, such as Documents, Downloads, research folders, meeting recordings, or note archives.

3. Let Fenn index content so it becomes searchable.

Everyday use

1. Press Fenn’s keyboard shortcut to search.

2. Type your term. Try Hybrid if you half-remember a phrase or concept.

3. Skim the context snippets to confirm the hit.

4. Open the result and Fenn jumps to the exact PDF page, slide, image frame, or audio or video timestamp. No manual scrubbing.

Mini case: from 10 minutes to 10 seconds

You remember a clause like “change of control” inside a 280 page contract bundle.

• Old way
  Finder lists 40 candidate PDFs. You open several, run Command + F, scan a dozen false positives, and finally land on page 173.
  Time spent: 8 to 12 minutes.

• With Fenn
  Search once. The top hit shows the clause in a snippet. Open and land on the exact page.
  Time spent: about 10 seconds.

When to use which tool

• Try Spotlight if you remember the name of the file.

• Use Finder when you need filters like Kind or Date.

• Use Preview to search a single PDF you already have open.

• Use Fenn when you need the exact page, frame, or timestamp across many files and formats, with privacy by default and semantic/keyword understanding.

Ready to skip the hunt

Stop opening files just to search inside them.
Start at the answer.

Download Fenn today and find the moment, not the file.