macOS app and Command Line Interface (CLI)

Desktop file search for large folders, AI workflows, and automation.

Quick Search for macOS gives you a native Mac app for visual searching across Finder-authorized local folders and cloud-synced folders that are available on your Mac, a quick search panel you open from any app with ⌥⌘S, plus the optional qs Command Line Interface (CLI) for Terminal, scripts, shell pipelines, Shortcuts, automation tools, and AI-assisted file work. The Mac app builds the local index; the CLI uses that same index for update, search, and status commands.

Available on the App StoremacOS app⌥⌘S quick search panelCLI with Pro

qs search report 2026 --ext pdfqs search report --ext pdf --json --limit 10

Mac app

A focused desktop interface for indexed folders.

Use the app when you want a visual workflow: add Finder folders, include cloud-synced folders that are available locally, build the index, search by filename, extension, or folder name, inspect paths, and open files from a native macOS interface.

Basic workflow

Add folders, build the local index, then search with a filename term, an extension filter, or both. Add a folder name to keep only files inside matching folders at any depth. Right-click a result to open it, reveal it in Finder, or copy its path.

Finder and synced folders

macOS folder access is handled through Finder and macOS permissions. You can index local folders, external and network drives, and cloud-synced folders that are available on your Mac; the Mac app does not use OneDrive OAuth APIs.

Index updates

Quick Search watches your indexed folders. When files are added, deleted, renamed, or changed, Update Index becomes available, and with Pro the index updates automatically a few seconds after changes stop. Changes made by other computers on network drives (NAS, SMB) are not reported to your Mac, so use Update Index or ⌘R for those folders.

Recent files

Turn on Show recent files when not searching, next to File Name, to list the 500 most recently modified files while the search is empty. Add a folder name to filter that list. Available in Basic and Pro.

Readable results

Use A− and A+ in the results header, or ⌘− and ⌘+, to change the result text size in five steps.

Local and private

The index stores file names, folder relationships, extensions, dates, and sizes on your Mac. File contents are not read or uploaded.

Quick search panel

Press ⌥⌘S anywhere to find a file.

The quick search panel opens over any app, like Spotlight, and searches the same index as the main window as you type. It is available in Basic and Pro.

Open it from anywhere

Press ⌥⌘S in any app, or choose Quick Search from the menu bar icon. Use ↑ and ↓ to choose a file, Return to open it, ⌘Return to show it in Finder, and ⌘C to copy its path. Press Esc to close the panel.

Change the shortcut, the menu bar icon, and Open at login in Settings › Quick Search Panel. With Open at login on, Quick Search starts quietly with only the menu bar icon and the shortcut, without a window or a Dock icon.

Type the same options as qs

Add an extension as a word starting with a dot, or use the same options as qs search: --ext, --folder (use quotes for several words), --folder-and / --folder-or, and --file-and / --file-or.

report .pdfreport --folder finance --ext pdf--folder "logo photo" --folder-or --ext png

Basic and Pro

Start free, upgrade when you need more.

Basic is free. Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as Lifetime Pro.

Basic

Up to 3 folders. Choose folders inside your disk or home folder, such as Documents or Downloads; a whole disk (Macintosh HD), the Users folder, or the home folder can't be added. External and network drives can be added from their top folder.
One filename keyword, optionally with an extension and a folder filter
Quick search panel, menu bar icon, and Open at login
Recent files and manual index updates when files change

Pro

More folders
Multiple keywords with AND / OR matching
Extension-only search, such as every PNG
Automatic index updates when files change
The qs command line tool

macOS screenshots

Search examples from the macOS app.

Combine filename terms, filter by folder or file type, and stack filters to isolate the right file. Every search is also a qs command with identical results in Terminal.

Quick Search for macOS showing a two-keyword filename search and the same qs search in Terminal — **Multi-keyword search**Find files whose names contain all your keywords, or any of them.

Quick Search for macOS filtering results by the folder name finance — **Folder filter**Keep only files inside folders whose names match, at any depth.

Quick Search for macOS listing every png file with an extension-only search — **Extension search**List every file of a type, such as `png`, across indexed folders.

Quick Search for macOS combining a filename term, a folder filter, and an extension — **Layered filters**Stack filename, folder, and file type filters for precise results.

Lightning-fast search

Measured in milliseconds on a 100,000-file stress test.

The macOS App averaged millisecond-level search time when matching combined filename terms with default AND matching and an extension filter.

4.952 ms

Average macOS App search time across three 100,000-file test runs

Command line

The same shared index, available from Terminal.

The Command Line Interface (CLI) runs through Quick Search.app and uses the same app-authorized local index. Add folders and build the index in the Mac app first, then use qs for update, search, and status commands. The CLI requires Pro (monthly, yearly, or Lifetime) and must be turned on in Settings.

Command names

Use qs as the primary command; quick-search is the same command. Copy the setup command from Settings and run it once in Terminal.

qs help

AI-ready output

Return readable text, paths-only output for shell pipelines, or JSON with structured metadata for AI assistants, scripts, and automation systems.

qs search report --ext pdf --json --limit 10

Update and inspect the shared index

qs updateqs statusqs status --json

Add folders and build the initial index in the Mac app so folder access stays aligned with macOS security-scoped permissions. While the app is running with automatic updates on, CLI searches use the current index right away.

Search from Terminal

qs search report 2026 --ext pdfqs search report --ext pdf --paths-onlyqs search invoice contract --file-orqs search report --folder finance --ext pdf

Shell pipeline examples

qs search report --ext pdf --paths-only | headqs search report --ext pdf --paths-only | pbcopyqs search report --ext pdf --paths-only | xargs -I {} open "{}"

Use with AI and automation

Use --json when another tool needs name, path, relative path, extension, root folder, and file size. Use --limit, and --compact for single-line JSON, to keep AI context small and predictable.

qs search report --ext pdf --json --limit 10qs search report --ext pdf --json --compact