Search A Document On Mac

1. If documents are encrypted (have security applied to them), you cannot search them as part of a multiple-document search. Open those documents first and search them one at a time. However, documents encrypted as Adobe Digital Editions are an exception and can be searched as part of a multiple-document search.
2. Press Command+F to bring up the in-page search box. Alternatively, you can go to the Edit menu Find Find to bring up the search box. Type in your search word or phrase and hit Enter.

• How Do You Search A Document On Mac
• How To Word Search A Document On Mac
• How Do I Search For A Document On My Mac
• How To Search Within A Document On Mac

Mac OS X includes a program called Spotlight that does more than just find files; it can do math and find word definitions, and you can download plug-ins for.

Nov 16, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

If you are relatively new to the macOS system, then chances are that you might encounter a similar situation as well. Although macOS is quite user-friendly, sometimes it can take a lot of time to find a file or locate a particular folder. Just like Windows or Linux, Mac also presents different ways to find files and browse its local storage system.

In this post, we will teach you how to find folders on Mac as well as recover any lost document on your Mac system as well.

How Do You Search A Document On Mac

Part 1. How to Find Hidden Files and Folders on Mac Hard Drive?

Ideally, you can browse the internal hard drive or Mac or even explore an external device well. The solution to find lost files on Mac would be the same for almost every major version. Though, there might be some change in the overall interface of the macOS. The following are some of the common techniques that you can follow to find any file on Mac.

1. Use Recent Items to Find Documents on Mac

If you wish to find some recently opened files or folders on Mac, then you can follow this simple approach. The macOS would maintain a record of the recently accessed documents, applications, and sometimes even system processes. Therefore, you can quickly learn how to find lost files on Mac with this approach.

1. Just go to the Apple logo on the top left corner of the screen and click on the 'Recent Items' option.
2. This will give you a list of the recently accessed folders, apps, and documents. Just click on the icon of your choice to view the file or application.
3. Additionally, you can also go to the File menu > Open Recent section to view the recently accessed files. You can clear the history from here or click on any file to access it once again.

2. Check the Downloads Folder to Find Files

Too often, Mac users download something from the internet and later realize that the downloaded document disappeared on Mac. If you also think that the Mac download folder is missing, then consider following these quick steps.

1. To start with, go to the desktop on your Mac system and visit the 'Go' section from the main menu. From here, you can visit the 'Downloads' folder on Mac.
2. Alternatively, you can also go to your Library and click on the 'Downloads' section from the left panel.
3. Once the Downloads folder on Mac has been opened, you can just look for any file of your choice. There is a search tab on the top that can help you do the same in less time. Simply click on it and type the name of the file you are looking for in the Downloads folder.

3. Check the Trash to Find Deleted Files

When we delete something on Mac, the file is not removed from the storage right away. On the contrary, it will be moved to the Trash, from where we can recover the deleted data if we want to. Therefore, if you can't find lost documents or folders on Mac, then make sure that you check its Trash before taking any drastic measures.

1. Firstly, you need to access the Trash folder on Mac. You can do this by clicking on the Trash icon on the dock.
2. When the Trash folder would be opened, you can view all the deleted files that are stored on it temporarily.
3. If you wish to recover a file, then select it, and right-click. Click on the 'Put Back' option from the context menu to restore it to its original location.

4. Search the Spotlight to Find Files and Folders

Spotlight is probably one of the most resourceful features in macOS. Since Spotlight has been an evident feature in every major macOS, you won't face the slightest of trouble in finding any file on your Mac system. The feature can be accessed from the desktop and will let you look for files, documents, internet searches, and so much more in one place. If you don't know where to find documents on Mac, then simply follow this drill.

1. To access Spotlight, go to your Mac's desktop and click on the search icon on the top right corner of the screen. Here, type the name of any file or folder that you are looking for.
2. In no time, the system will start looking for suitable content with respect to the searched keyword. Once you get the results, you can just hover the mouse on the icon to get its preview. Ideally, Mac will let you preview pictures, videos, audios, documents, etc.
3. In order to access a file, simply click on it and it will be opened on your Mac system. If you want, you can click on the 'Show All in Finder' option as well to view all the searched results together.
4. This will display the relevant results in Finder so that you can find the suitable files and folders that you were looking for.

5. Use Terminal to Find Files and Folders on Mac

The terminal is one of the most useful utility tools in Mac that lets us send direct commands to our system. A lot of users are not able to find any file or folder on Mac which is hidden. In this case, you can take the assistance of Terminal to view the hidden files/folders first. Later, you can go to Finder on Mac to access the data of your choice.

1. To begin with, you need to launch the Terminal app. Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Terminal app or look for it from the Spotlight.
2. 2. Once Terminal is launched on your Mac, simply copy the following commands and press enter: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE killall Finder
3. This will restart Finder and will display all the hidden files and folders on it as well. Now, you can just click on the search icon and enter the name of the files/folder you are looking for. This will let you find files and folders on Mac that are even hidden from the user.

If the content you are looking for is present on your Mac's storage, then you would be able to find it by following the above-listed methods. These techniques will work even if the data has been hidden or deleted so that you can find any file on Mac seamlessly. Though, if your data is deleted or inaccessible, then consider following the next section to find lost files on Mac.

Part 2. How to Find Lost Files on Mac?

There are times when users end up losing their important data on Mac. While there could be different reasons behind it, you can easily find lost documents on Mac by using the right methods.

Why Files Get Lost?

How To Word Search A Document On Mac

Before we teach you how to find lost documents on Mac, it is important to know what could have caused the situation in the first place. Here are some of the major reasons for data loss on Mac.

• Sometimes, users end up deleting something accidentally, which gets lost.
• The change in location of the files can make them inaccessible at times.
• A virus or malware attack on the storage can make your files corrupt.
• Chances are that your data could be overwritten by something else.
• The data can be mishandled by a third-party application as well.
• The storage unit or partition can get corrupt or formatted.
• A firmware issue, corrupt update, or any other software-related problem

Recoverit Data Recovery: The Best Mac Lost Partition Recovery Software

No matter what could have caused your files to be lost on inaccessible, you can easily get them back using Recoverit Mac Data Recovery software. It is an extremely reliable and advanced data recovery tool that supports every leading Mac and Windows version. The application is developed by Wondershare and yields positive results in all kinds of data loss scenarios. Also, it is extremely easy to use and will not need any prior technical experience to find lost files on Mac through it.

If you have deleted a partition on Mac or have lost it due to any other reason, then you should use Recoverit Data Recovery. It can help you restore partition data on Mac by following these easy steps.

Step 1: Select a disk

To start with, just launch the Recoverit Data Recovery application on your Mac. Subsequently, the application will identify the inbuilt partitions on your Mac and will provide their list. You can just select a partition of your choice and start the recovery process.

Step 2: Scan the Location

In no time, Recoverit would try to access the lost content from the selected partition. Though, if the partition has been lost, then the quick scan might not yield the needed results. In this case, you can perform a Deep Scan on your Mac to scan the entire storage.

Since it might take a while, it is recommended to wait for the recovery process to be completed. Try not to restart your Mac or close the application when it is performing a deep scan.

Step 3: Preview and Recover

That's it! Once the process is complete, the application will display the recovered data under various categories. You can view a section from the left panel and preview your data on the right.

In the end, you can select the files you wish to get back and click on the 'Recover' button to save them to a secure location.

In some new macOS versions, third-party applications are not allowed to access the logical partition of the drive. To overcome this, you can reboot Mac in recovery mode and launch Terminal from the utility menu. Type 'csrutil disable' and press enter to disable its System Integrity Protection. Once it is done, restart Mac in the normal mode and run Recoverit Data Recovery again.

Part 3. Tips for Finding Files on Mac

How Do I Search For A Document On My Mac

If you don't want to lose your data and learn how to find files on Mac quickly, then consider following these expert suggestions:

• There are all kinds of keyboard shortcuts that you can use while browsing the file system on Mac. For instance, if you have been browsing a directory and would like to go back to the default folder, then press the Command + Shift + H keys. This will take you back to the home instantly.
• Finder in Mac also allows us to set some default folders so that we can access them easily. Just go to the Finder Preferences to set a default folder for quick access.
• The toolbar on Mac already provides a lot of options, but you can further customize it to make it easier for you to find files on Mac. Just go to View > Customize Toolbar and make the needed adjustments.
• You can easily look for a file through the 'Search' bar on Finder. Also, you can sort the displayed data on the basis of different parameters (like size, last modified, etc.) to find files easily.
• Mac also lets us preview files before opening them in order to find the respective content. For instance, you can just select a file and click on the Quick Look button to get its preview in seconds.

There you go! After reading this guide, you would be able to find any file on Mac without much trouble. We have listed different inbuilt methods to find lost documents on Mac, recover hidden files, and even restore deleted data. If you can't find lost files on Mac via Trash, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery. It is an advanced and user-friendly data recovery application that will help you get back all kinds of content lost on your Mac. Since the tool is available for free (basic version), you can simply download it on your Mac and use it as per your requirements.

Accidentally replaced a Word document, how to recover a replaced Word document on Mac? This article mainly discusses two ways to recover replaced or overwritten files on Mac with 100% possibilities:[1]Recover replaced files on Mac from Time Machine; [2]Recover replaced files with EaseUS Mac file recovery software.

How to Recover Accidentally Replaced Word Files

Chances are that we made a terrible mistake beyond careless file deletion or disk formatting, for example, accidentally replaced a file by the other new file with the same name. Though macOS would certainly warn you that the file with this name has already existed, you just don't stop thinking and hit the Replace button. Usually, for the overwritten Word documents, users can search temporary files in Finder. Whereas, for other files and folders like pictures, texts or videos, you have no choice but to restore them to previous versions via Time Machine backup or third-party Mac data recovery software.

If you are relatively new to the macOS system, then chances are that you might encounter a similar situation as well. Although macOS is quite user-friendly, sometimes it can take a lot of time to find a file or locate a particular folder. Just like Windows or Linux, Mac also presents different ways to find files and browse its local storage system.

In this post, we will teach you how to find folders on Mac as well as recover any lost document on your Mac system as well.

How Do You Search A Document On Mac

Part 1. How to Find Hidden Files and Folders on Mac Hard Drive?

Ideally, you can browse the internal hard drive or Mac or even explore an external device well. The solution to find lost files on Mac would be the same for almost every major version. Though, there might be some change in the overall interface of the macOS. The following are some of the common techniques that you can follow to find any file on Mac.

1. Use Recent Items to Find Documents on Mac

If you wish to find some recently opened files or folders on Mac, then you can follow this simple approach. The macOS would maintain a record of the recently accessed documents, applications, and sometimes even system processes. Therefore, you can quickly learn how to find lost files on Mac with this approach.

1. Just go to the Apple logo on the top left corner of the screen and click on the 'Recent Items' option.
2. This will give you a list of the recently accessed folders, apps, and documents. Just click on the icon of your choice to view the file or application.
3. Additionally, you can also go to the File menu > Open Recent section to view the recently accessed files. You can clear the history from here or click on any file to access it once again.

2. Check the Downloads Folder to Find Files

Too often, Mac users download something from the internet and later realize that the downloaded document disappeared on Mac. If you also think that the Mac download folder is missing, then consider following these quick steps.

1. To start with, go to the desktop on your Mac system and visit the 'Go' section from the main menu. From here, you can visit the 'Downloads' folder on Mac.
2. Alternatively, you can also go to your Library and click on the 'Downloads' section from the left panel.
3. Once the Downloads folder on Mac has been opened, you can just look for any file of your choice. There is a search tab on the top that can help you do the same in less time. Simply click on it and type the name of the file you are looking for in the Downloads folder.

3. Check the Trash to Find Deleted Files

When we delete something on Mac, the file is not removed from the storage right away. On the contrary, it will be moved to the Trash, from where we can recover the deleted data if we want to. Therefore, if you can't find lost documents or folders on Mac, then make sure that you check its Trash before taking any drastic measures.

1. Firstly, you need to access the Trash folder on Mac. You can do this by clicking on the Trash icon on the dock.
2. When the Trash folder would be opened, you can view all the deleted files that are stored on it temporarily.
3. If you wish to recover a file, then select it, and right-click. Click on the 'Put Back' option from the context menu to restore it to its original location.

4. Search the Spotlight to Find Files and Folders

Spotlight is probably one of the most resourceful features in macOS. Since Spotlight has been an evident feature in every major macOS, you won't face the slightest of trouble in finding any file on your Mac system. The feature can be accessed from the desktop and will let you look for files, documents, internet searches, and so much more in one place. If you don't know where to find documents on Mac, then simply follow this drill.

1. To access Spotlight, go to your Mac's desktop and click on the search icon on the top right corner of the screen. Here, type the name of any file or folder that you are looking for.
2. In no time, the system will start looking for suitable content with respect to the searched keyword. Once you get the results, you can just hover the mouse on the icon to get its preview. Ideally, Mac will let you preview pictures, videos, audios, documents, etc.
3. In order to access a file, simply click on it and it will be opened on your Mac system. If you want, you can click on the 'Show All in Finder' option as well to view all the searched results together.
4. This will display the relevant results in Finder so that you can find the suitable files and folders that you were looking for.

5. Use Terminal to Find Files and Folders on Mac

The terminal is one of the most useful utility tools in Mac that lets us send direct commands to our system. A lot of users are not able to find any file or folder on Mac which is hidden. In this case, you can take the assistance of Terminal to view the hidden files/folders first. Later, you can go to Finder on Mac to access the data of your choice.

1. To begin with, you need to launch the Terminal app. Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Terminal app or look for it from the Spotlight.
2. 2. Once Terminal is launched on your Mac, simply copy the following commands and press enter: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE killall Finder
3. This will restart Finder and will display all the hidden files and folders on it as well. Now, you can just click on the search icon and enter the name of the files/folder you are looking for. This will let you find files and folders on Mac that are even hidden from the user.

If the content you are looking for is present on your Mac's storage, then you would be able to find it by following the above-listed methods. These techniques will work even if the data has been hidden or deleted so that you can find any file on Mac seamlessly. Though, if your data is deleted or inaccessible, then consider following the next section to find lost files on Mac.

Part 2. How to Find Lost Files on Mac?

There are times when users end up losing their important data on Mac. While there could be different reasons behind it, you can easily find lost documents on Mac by using the right methods.

Why Files Get Lost?

How To Word Search A Document On Mac

Before we teach you how to find lost documents on Mac, it is important to know what could have caused the situation in the first place. Here are some of the major reasons for data loss on Mac.

• Sometimes, users end up deleting something accidentally, which gets lost.
• The change in location of the files can make them inaccessible at times.
• A virus or malware attack on the storage can make your files corrupt.
• Chances are that your data could be overwritten by something else.
• The data can be mishandled by a third-party application as well.
• The storage unit or partition can get corrupt or formatted.
• A firmware issue, corrupt update, or any other software-related problem

Recoverit Data Recovery: The Best Mac Lost Partition Recovery Software

No matter what could have caused your files to be lost on inaccessible, you can easily get them back using Recoverit Mac Data Recovery software. It is an extremely reliable and advanced data recovery tool that supports every leading Mac and Windows version. The application is developed by Wondershare and yields positive results in all kinds of data loss scenarios. Also, it is extremely easy to use and will not need any prior technical experience to find lost files on Mac through it.

If you have deleted a partition on Mac or have lost it due to any other reason, then you should use Recoverit Data Recovery. It can help you restore partition data on Mac by following these easy steps.

Step 1: Select a disk

To start with, just launch the Recoverit Data Recovery application on your Mac. Subsequently, the application will identify the inbuilt partitions on your Mac and will provide their list. You can just select a partition of your choice and start the recovery process.

Step 2: Scan the Location

In no time, Recoverit would try to access the lost content from the selected partition. Though, if the partition has been lost, then the quick scan might not yield the needed results. In this case, you can perform a Deep Scan on your Mac to scan the entire storage.

Since it might take a while, it is recommended to wait for the recovery process to be completed. Try not to restart your Mac or close the application when it is performing a deep scan.

Step 3: Preview and Recover

That's it! Once the process is complete, the application will display the recovered data under various categories. You can view a section from the left panel and preview your data on the right.

In the end, you can select the files you wish to get back and click on the 'Recover' button to save them to a secure location.

In some new macOS versions, third-party applications are not allowed to access the logical partition of the drive. To overcome this, you can reboot Mac in recovery mode and launch Terminal from the utility menu. Type 'csrutil disable' and press enter to disable its System Integrity Protection. Once it is done, restart Mac in the normal mode and run Recoverit Data Recovery again.

Part 3. Tips for Finding Files on Mac

How Do I Search For A Document On My Mac

If you don't want to lose your data and learn how to find files on Mac quickly, then consider following these expert suggestions:

• There are all kinds of keyboard shortcuts that you can use while browsing the file system on Mac. For instance, if you have been browsing a directory and would like to go back to the default folder, then press the Command + Shift + H keys. This will take you back to the home instantly.
• Finder in Mac also allows us to set some default folders so that we can access them easily. Just go to the Finder Preferences to set a default folder for quick access.
• The toolbar on Mac already provides a lot of options, but you can further customize it to make it easier for you to find files on Mac. Just go to View > Customize Toolbar and make the needed adjustments.
• You can easily look for a file through the 'Search' bar on Finder. Also, you can sort the displayed data on the basis of different parameters (like size, last modified, etc.) to find files easily.
• Mac also lets us preview files before opening them in order to find the respective content. For instance, you can just select a file and click on the Quick Look button to get its preview in seconds.

There you go! After reading this guide, you would be able to find any file on Mac without much trouble. We have listed different inbuilt methods to find lost documents on Mac, recover hidden files, and even restore deleted data. If you can't find lost files on Mac via Trash, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery. It is an advanced and user-friendly data recovery application that will help you get back all kinds of content lost on your Mac. Since the tool is available for free (basic version), you can simply download it on your Mac and use it as per your requirements.

Accidentally replaced a Word document, how to recover a replaced Word document on Mac? This article mainly discusses two ways to recover replaced or overwritten files on Mac with 100% possibilities:[1]Recover replaced files on Mac from Time Machine; [2]Recover replaced files with EaseUS Mac file recovery software.

How to Recover Accidentally Replaced Word Files

Chances are that we made a terrible mistake beyond careless file deletion or disk formatting, for example, accidentally replaced a file by the other new file with the same name. Though macOS would certainly warn you that the file with this name has already existed, you just don't stop thinking and hit the Replace button. Usually, for the overwritten Word documents, users can search temporary files in Finder. Whereas, for other files and folders like pictures, texts or videos, you have no choice but to restore them to previous versions via Time Machine backup or third-party Mac data recovery software.

Things turn out to be desperate. However, it doesn't mean that there is nothing we can do. Here, we gathered two possible ways and step-by-step guides for you to recover replaced and overwritten files on Mac.

#1. How to Recover Replaced Files on Mac from Time Machine

'Yesterday, I tried to move some files to my external hard drive, I found there was a folder titled with the same name. Mac prompted a question 'A folder named * already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the one you're copying?' and I stupidly hit 'Replace'. I hit cancel but it's too late. And it seemed that I had replaced some files in the folder. Is it possible to undo the file replace and recover overwritten files on Mac? If yes, how can I do it?'

Prior notice to recover a replaced file on Mac:

1) When you replace a file with the same file format and the same file name, the chance to restore a single overwritten file is null.

2) When you replace a folder with the same folder name, files in both two folders will be combined, saving different files and replacing files with the same names (new file overwrites the old one in the destination folder). Normally, you'll only lose the replaced files. And yes, the chance to retrieve overwritten files is still null.

To recover overwritten files from Time Machine:

If you are an early bird who creates a backup of important files on your Mac computer, and when you find you replaced or overwrote an important file or folder on Mac, your best choice is to recover overwritten files from Time Machine backup.

Once again: the precondition of restoring replaced files from Time Machine backup is that you've created a backup of those files in advance.

It's easy! You can simply find the containing folder of overwritten files from the backup by using Time Machine:

Step 1. Connect the Time Machine backup disk to your Mac computer and enter Time Machine by clicking the Time Machine icon at the Status menu on Mac.

You can also click 'Finder', and then open the 'Time Machine' application.

Step 2. On the bottom and the right corner of the screen of Mac, scroll the Timeline to find the date and time that you did a backup through Time Machine.

Also, you can click the up arrow next to the Time Machine window to find the right back up. You can double-click a specific file or folder to check if the files are what you want to restore from the backup.

Step 3. If the overwritten files are in Time Machine backup, you can select them and click 'Restore' to retrieve the old versions of overwritten files.

The selected files (which were replaced on Mac) will be restored from the Time Machine backup to the original location on your Mac computer. And you can continue using the restored files again.

#2. How to Recover Replaced Files on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

'I emptied my USB stick and transferred about 4.8GB new documents and pictures onto it. But later this evening, I found that I didn't back up the folder containing all my school training materials, I emptied it with all the data on the USB stick. Now all new files have replaced the old ones. Is it possible for me to restore the replaced files on a Macbook? I don't have any Time Machine backup.'

Mostly, if you emptied a storage device such as a USB flash drive and saved new files on it, the old files will be replaced. Will you have a chance to restore the replaced files? Yes!

For example, you have a 100GB USB which is full of saved files, you emptied the USB and saved 50GB of new files there. The 50 GB replaced files cannot be restored. But the other 50GB lost files in the empty space are still available to be found and retrieved.

Prior notice to recover replaced files on Mac hard drive or flash drive:

1) When you deleted files on a storage device and saved new files on it, the replaced files in the occupied space can't be restored. But the lost file in the empty space can still be restored by using professional file recovery software.

2) If you are in such a case, you can either restore all replaced files from your Time Machine backup (if you had a backup) or turn to a professional Mac data recovery software for help (as shown below).

Best way to get overwritten files back on Mac:

If you are the one who lost data by emptying storage devices and replacing old data by saving new files, you'll need to use third-party Mac data recovery software as an alternative solution to recover replaced files from the empty space. Being powerful, safe and easy-to-use, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is your best choice. It allows you to recover deleted files on Mac and supports to restore multiple types of files such as pictures, videos, documents, music files, etc from Mac in three steps.

Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the 'Scan' button.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.

Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click the 'Recover Now' button to have them back.

To Sum Up

Regarding the topic 'how to recover replaced files on Mac', we collected two cases and gave corresponding solutions:

How To Search Within A Document On Mac

1. Case 1 - Replaced a single file on Mac by mistake (Recover from a backup)
2. Case 2 - Replaced files on a hard drive or USB stick (Recover from backup or third-party data recovery software)