Spotlight, OS X’s system-wide search feature, was first introduced in Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger in 2005. Since its debut, Spotlight has become the go to resource for quickly locating files on the Mac. While many users are perfectly satisfied clicking the magnifying glass at the top right of their screen and inputing a query, Spotlight’s reach extends far beyond this basic search functionality. For starters, if you’d prefer not to move the pointer to the top right of the screen each time you’d like to use Spotlight, try this simple keyboard shortcut: Command + Spacebar. This will open Spotlight with the search field highlighted and ready to go. Just start typing and the results list will begin to populate itself. If the Top Hit is the file or application you’re looking for, press Return to open it—look Ma, no mouse!
Is a basic search not cutting it? Then it’s time to get specific. Spotlight accommodates both boolean and type searching in addition to keyword search. To execute a boolean search, enter an initial term followed by an operator such as: OR, AND, NOT. These operators must be typed in all caps for Spotlight to recognize them. It is also easy to find files by type. Simply enter your search term followed by kind:filetypehere. An example of a type search would be: dead kind:audio. This query—on my iMac at least—returns songs and albums almost exclusively by the Grateful Dead. Type searches will work with almost any kind of media or file extension on your Mac.
Spotlight even contains some lesser known search based bonuses. Need to do a quick calculation? Press Command + Spacebar to pop open a fresh search field, and try typing an equation. Spotlight recognizes basic arithmetic (+,-,*,/, etc) and more advanced calculations such as square roots (sqrt) and powers (pow). Just remember to bracket and “Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally.”
Yet another great feature of Spotlight is its onboard dictionary. As long as your search term isn’t a specific application name or OS X system component, it is likely a dictionary entry will appear in the top search results. Move your mouse over the mini dictionary icon to reveal the word’s definition, or highlight and press Return to open the Dictionary application.