Filtering and Low-Level Search

Path Finder includes powerful filtering and search tools so you can find exactly what you’re looking for, even in large or messy folders.

Filter bar (quick filtering in the current folder)

The Filter Bar lets you narrow down items in the current folder.

Show the Filter Bar:

1. In the menu bar, go to View > Show Filter Bar (if it isn’t visible).

2. A filter field will appear (often at the bottom of the window).

Use the Filter Bar:

• Type part of a filename or pattern, and only matching items will be shown.

• You can quickly focus on files that contain a particular word, extension, or pattern.

This is ideal for quick, local filtering without running a full search.

Low-Level Search (Find)

For more advanced searches, use Find:

1. In the menu bar, go to File > Find…, or use the search shortcut (e.g. Command + F, depending on your setup).

2. The Find window will open with multiple criteria options.

You can search by:

• Name (contains, begins with, ends with, matches pattern, etc.)

• Contents (text inside files)

• Date Modified / Created / Last Opened

• Size (greater than, less than, between)

• Kind (images, documents, folders, etc.)

• Permissions and other attributes, depending on your version

You can add multiple conditions to create very precise searches.

Combine multiple criteria

Low-level search lets you build queries like:

• Files with “.log” in the name, modified in the last 7 days, larger than 1 MB

• Documents containing a specific word in the content and tagged with a certain tag

• Files owned by a specific user or with certain permissions

The more criteria you add, the more specific your results become.

Filtering and low-level search together let you handle everything from “find a single file by name” to “hunt down all old, large logs on a drive”.