Spotlight is one of the easiest ways to launch files, folders, apps, and more on your Mac. You can bring it up with a keyboard shortcut (Cmd + Space) or by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar.

This native macOS feature also comes in handy when you want to look up definitions of words, get sports scores, track flights, do basic math, and retrieve all kinds of information in a snap. And thanks to natural language support, using Spotlight feels intuitive and effortless.

If you're eager to discover the best tricks Spotlight is capable of, our cheat sheet below can help.

The cheat sheet includes keyboard shortcuts that work in Spotlight and special attributes you can use to filter data faster. You’ll also discover how to use Boolean operators, natural language, and various in-built Spotlight tools to access just the data you need in a few keystrokes.

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download The Spotlight Search Tips Cheat Sheet for Mac.

The Spotlight Search Tips Cheat Sheet for Mac

Shortcut

Action

Basics

Cmd + Space

Open Spotlight

¹keyword(s)

Display results for search term with first result highlighted and its preview in right-hand pane

“keywords” or “phrase”

Display exact matches

²“as”

Display App Store as top result

²“pc”

Display Parental Controls as top result

Return (Enter)

Open selected item

Double-click result

Open selected item

Down Arrow

Select result below

Up Arrow

Select result above

³Tab

Select first item in preview pane

⁴Cmd

Display Finder location of selected result at bottom of preview pane

Right Arrow

Autocomplete search keyword using the suggested/selected result

Cmd + Down Arrow

Jump to first result in next category

Cmd + Up Arrow

Jump to first result in previous category

Cmd + L

Jump to definition in results

Cmd + R

Open result in Finder or relevant app if applicable

Cmd + Return (Enter)

Open result in Finder or relevant app if applicable

Cmd + I

Open Get Info pane for result

Cmd + B

Look up search term using default search engine in default browser

Cmd + C

Copy item

Drag result to Finder window or desktop

Copy item

Double-click Show all in Finder in results list


View all results in Finder

Hover over preview for audio/video result

Reveal Play button to play result in preview

Two-finger scroll over preview

Reveal scroll bar

Drag search box

Move Spotlight to reposition it

Esc

Clear search box

Cmd + Delete

Clear search box

Option + Cmd + Space

Open Finder search window with search box selected

⁵Search Using Metadata Attributes

from:Name

Created or sent by Name

by:Name

Created or sent by Name

author:Name

Created by Name

to:Name

Addressed to Name

title:Title_Name

With title Title_Name

tag:TagName

With tag Tag_Name

date:DD/MM/YY

From DD/MM/YY

created:DD/MM/YY

Created on DD/MM/YY

modified:DD/MM/YY

Modified on DD/MM/YY

⁶comment:keyword

Comment contains keyword

kind:app kind:application(s)

⁷Apps

kind:audio

Audio

kind:bookmark(s)

Bookmarks

kind:event(s)

Calendar events

kind:contact(s)

Contacts

kind:document(s)

Documents

kind email(s) kind: mail message(s)

Emails

kind:folder(s)

Folders

kind:font(s)

Fonts

kind:image(s), kind:jpeg, kind:png

Images

kind:movie(s)

Movies

kind:music

Music

kind:pdf(s)

PDF

kind:preferences kind:system preferences

Preferences

kind:presentation(s)

Presentations

kind:reminder(s)

Reminders

kind:pages

Pages documents

kind:numbers

Numbers spreadsheets

kind:keynote

Keynote presentations

⁸Search Using Boolean Operators

keyword 1 AND keyword 2

Results with keyword 1 and keyword 2

keyword 1 OR keyword 2

Results with keyword 1 or keyword 2

keyword 1 NOT keyword 2

Results with keyword 1 but not keyword 2

keyword 1 -keyword 2

Results with keyword 1 but not keyword 2

Tools/Math

⁹Find local businesses

coffee

places to eat

restaurant

salon

“starbucks”

“apple store”

🍕

🌮

👕

👠

🚗

🍿

Get time zone information

“time in Sydney”

Get weather information

“weather” for local weather
“weather in Mumbai”

Look up definitions

keyword

Convert temperatures

“302kelvins in f”

Convert measurements

“52 pounds to kilograms”

Convert currencies

“600gbp in usd”

Get math calculations

“234/5*6”

Get real-time sports scores

“cricket scores” “lakers game”

Get stock prices

“sbux” for SBUX or Starbucks Corporation

See what’s playing at local theaters

showtimes or movie times

Get movie details and showtimes

“men in black”

Track flights

“WN3536” or “southwest 3536”

¹⁰Play songs without opening iTunes

“waka waka”

Search Using Natural Language

emails i received today

photos from yesterday

files from this week

messages from last week

screenshots i took last month

last year photos

unread emails

pictures i took in june

documents i created in 2019

“spreadsheets from tim”

“presentations from ben”

¹Keyword(s) can be in title of Finder item or within content. ²Speed up search for apps and System Preferences panes by typing in their initials. Works with third-party apps also. ³Works with folders only. Preview pane items can be enclosed files or subfolders. ⁴Works with local results only. ⁵Can be used with or without keywords. ⁶Searches for Finder items with keyword in Comments section of Get Info pane. ⁷Without this filter, searching for an app name also reveals files recently used in app and matching apps in Mac App Store. ⁸Can be used with metadata attributes. Eg: kind:document date:25/08/19-31/08/19 NOT 28/08/19 ⁹Look under Maps category for relevant results. Does not work with all emojis. ¹⁰Hover over relevant track in preview to reveal Play button. Note: 1. Feature availability might vary based on country. 2. Visit System Preferences > Spotlight to toggle visibility of Spotlight categories.

Let Spotlight Find What You're Looking For

Searching with Spotlight is one of the good habits you should get used to as a Mac user. It’s also among the best productivity tips we recommend for your Mac.

Image Credit: Wesson Wang on Unsplash