How to add more canned searches to Finder

OS X includes a number of “canned” (pre-created) searches in Finder. But there are some that weren’t included by default. To add these additional searches, follow the instructions outlined below.

1. Start out by navigating to System -> Library -> CoreServices. Locate Finder and right-click (ctrl-click for single-button mouse folks) it. Select Show Package Contents from the pop-up menu.


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2. Open the folder Contents -> Resources and finally CannedSearches.


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3. Copy one of the saved searches to another folder. I have a “stuff” folder in my Documents where I place things that I want to keep, but don’t frequently access. If you have a place like that, copy the search file there. Right-click (again, ctrl-click if you have a single-button mouse) the copied version of the search file, and again select Show Package Contents.



4. Inside you’ll find a search.savedSearch file. Rename it to something more appropriate. Because I’m using the All Music canned search, I renamed search.savedSearch to All Music.



5. Now drag that file to your “search” section in the Finder sidebar.



6. Select it, and the search (in this case all of my music files) will be displayed.


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