Guides · October 24, 2026
How to Search Files by Extension, Size, and Date Modified on macOS
Master advanced macOS file search criteria: filtering by extension (.pdf, .mov), finding massive files eating disk space, and isolating files modified this week.
SearchOnMac Team
Storage & File Management · 6 min read
When you have hundreds of thousands of files across your internal drive and external SSDs, standard keyword queries return too much noise. Filtering by file extension, file size, and modification date provides laser precision.
1. Searching by File Extension in Spotlight & Finder
In Spotlight or Finder, you can filter by extension using the `name:` or `kind:` operator:
• `name:.dmg`: Finds all Apple disk image installer files.
• `kind:presentation`: Finds Keynote and PowerPoint files.
• `kind:pdf`: Restricts results strictly to PDF documents.
2. Finding Large Files to Free Up Disk Space
To hunt down space hogs eating your MacBook's SSD, open Finder and press ⌘ F. Add a criteria row: 'File Size is greater than 1 GB'.
In Spotlight, you can also type `size:>1GB` directly into the search bar.
3. Date Filtering: Today, Yesterday, and Last Week
Spotlight supports shorthand date keywords such as `date:today` or `modified:this week`.
SearchOnMac takes this further by parsing natural language phrases like 'downloaded this morning' or 'keynote from last Tuesday' using on-device semantic evaluation.
Combining metadata filters with instant launchers makes organizing and recovering files effortless.