File search

Search file and folder names in the folders you choose. Tinycast builds its own index of those folders and keeps it current as files change, so results appear as you type. Spotlight isn't used.

Turn it on in Settings → File Search. It's off by default. While it's off, there's no command and no index on disk.

Open it with the Search Files command, its own global shortcut, or the Search Files row under "Use … with" at the bottom of any launcher search. The last option opens with your text already typed.

Full Disk Access

File Search needs Full Disk Access, and indexes nothing without it. Tinycast reads your folders directly to build the index, and macOS protects many of them, so it needs this access to list them.

Tinycast checks for access but never asks for it. Settings → File Search shows Granted or Required, with a button that opens System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. Turn on Tinycast there. If it isn't listed, click + and choose Tinycast from Applications. Indexing starts on its own once access is granted. If the pane still says Required, quit and reopen Tinycast.

What the index holds, and where it goes:

• Names, folders and dates only. It stores each file's name, where it is and when it last changed. It never stores what's inside a file.
• It stays on your Mac. File Search makes no network requests.
• Off means gone. Turning File Search off deletes the index.
• It never downloads. iCloud Drive and other cloud files that aren't on your Mac are listed as they are, without downloading them.

See Permissions for what else Full Disk Access is used for.

The screen

With nothing typed, the list shows Recent: the 20 files in your home folder that changed most recently. Hidden files, ~/Library and app bundles are left out.

When you type, the list changes to Results. Each row shows the file's icon and name. Folders also show their parent folder's name, dimmed, which helps when many folders share a name like src.

The right side previews the selected file: the file itself, followed by its name, location, type, size and dates. You can play video and audio there. Nothing plays until you press play.

Filtering by type

⌘P, or the All Types button, narrows the search:

All Types · Folders · Documents · Images · Audio · Videos · Archives

The filter is applied during the search, so it never hides matches that were already cut off by the result limit. It resets each time you open the palette.

Actions

• Share… opens the macOS share menu for AirDrop, Mail, Messages and more. The palette stays open beside it.
• Copy File copies the file itself to the clipboard, so you can paste it into Finder or Mail.
• Paste File to … pastes the file into the app you opened the palette over.
• Copy Name and Copy Path keep the palette open, so you can copy several in a row.
• Add to Favorites puts the file or folder in the launcher's Favorites, next to your apps.
• Move to Trash doesn't ask for confirmation, because you can always restore files from the Trash.

Copies made here appear in your clipboard history like any other copy.

You can also drag any row into another app, like a Finder window or an upload field. Dragging always copies, so the original file stays where it is.

In the launcher

Turn on Show in launcher, under the File Search switch, to see files in launcher searches too. It's off by default.

When your search has three or more characters, a Files section lists up to five matches. It sits below the apps and commands, so return still opens the top result. Each row shows the name, the folder it's in, and whether it's a file or a folder. Matching favorite files come first.

The rows have the same actions as this screen. To see every match, choose the Search Files row under "Use … with".

Search scopes

Set these in Settings → File Search → Search Scopes. Only the folders listed here are indexed. By default, that's your home folder.

Everything inside a scope is indexed, including hidden files and the contents of app bundles. Those rank below your own files, and ignore patterns leave out what you never want.

An empty scope list indexes nothing. Tinycast doesn't fall back to your home folder. A folder inside another scope is already covered, so you don't need to add it. Other disks are never entered unless you add them as a scope.

Scopes are saved with your home folder written as ~, so a backup still works on another Mac.

Ignore patterns

Set these in Settings → File Search → Ignore Patterns. A matching folder, and everything in it, is skipped while indexing. There are three kinds:

Matching isn't case-sensitive, and * also matches /, so a **/…/** pattern works as written. Add Folder… adds a folder you pick as a path pattern.

The list starts with built-in rules that skip what a search for your own files rarely wants:

• Build and dependency folders, like node_modules, .git, build and DerivedData.
• The Photos library, the Trash, and the ~/.cache and ~/.npm caches.
• The busiest parts of ~/Library: Application Support, Caches, Containers, Developer, Group Containers and Mail.

You can remove any of them. Restore Defaults brings them all back.

Changing a scope or a pattern rebuilds the index. Search keeps using the old index until the new one is ready.

The index

Settings → File Search → Indexed Items shows how many items are indexed and when the index was built. Rebuild Index builds it again from scratch.

The first build reads every folder in your scopes once. After that, Tinycast watches those folders and updates only what changed. The build runs in a separate helper process, so it uses extra memory only while it runs.

How search works

Every word you type must appear in the file name, in any order. annual report finds "Report – annual 2025.pdf". Matching ignores case and accents.

The best matches come first: an exact name, then names that start with what you typed. Files in your home folder rank above hidden files, ~/Library and the contents of app bundles. At most 200 results are shown.

Messages you might see