Spotlight does not save seraches?

[Papa_Doc]

Spotligth or Finder : it would be nice if they would save my last searches automatically
This is done in Alfred app (free to use) , a nice time saving function

 

[MacsBug]

Why not just continue to use Alfred? I haven't used Spotlight in years. You can change the hotkeys for spotlight, and then set Alfred to launch with Command Space.

 

[TonyAguila]

I use Spotlight, Alfred, and FindAnyFile—depending on what results I’m looking for. I use Alfred mainly to trigger web searches, with fairly long text strings (e.g. “what is the best finder app on my Mac?) and it will trigger a web search. To launch apps, Spotlight is great because with numerous bootable volumes connected, Spotlight will probably show you several hits and indicate each location.

FindAnyFile will find—well, any file, across numerous volumes and locations and will indicate the location of each one, in real time, along with giving you choices of QuickLook for on-the-spot preview, and you can narrow or widen its search scope. Once you get the hang of each, and of any other “finder” utility you have access to, I personally think it makes life much easier. There’s another search/finder app out there, Time Machine, which is probably the most powerful of them all, but can be difficult to master. We don’t need to stick to only one, you know.

 

[Papa_Doc]

Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of your Mac. It is not a Finder app
The feature I was talking about is automatic saving of searches. Any comment on that?

 

[TonyAguila]

Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of your Mac. It is not a Finder app
The feature I was talking about is automatic saving of searches. Any comment on that?

Have you ever had need to look for files that have been saved and resaved numerous times? Like when you want to access a previous version of the file that you have saved and resaved numerous times? That’’s where TM shines. Or how about if you accidentally deleted a bunch of files, or even a whole drive? But if your search requirements are modest, the other search apps should suffice.

 

[Papa_Doc]

I recently deleted a file.
You cannot make a search in TM
Is there no recovery app ?

 

[TonyAguila]

I recently deleted a file.
You cannot make a search in TM
Is there no recovery app ?

Easy. Open the folder that contained the deleted file. Launch the Time Machine app. When it shows the time line on the right edge of the screen, you can scroll back one step at a time or to the point when you deleted the file, if you can remember. Then trigger the restore by selecting that file (or folder) and click on Restore. When it’s done, your missing file should show up in that folder.

It takes a while to get the “feel” of Time Machine, so it’s best to make practice runs when you can to be more familiar with it.

Nite times out of ten, my main use for Time Machine is when I make the mistake of saving a file I was working on then realizing my mistake that I didn’t want the change, or that I wanted the older file unchanged for some reason. (I call it my “oh no!” moment.) In a couple of minutes, as long as Time Machine did a previous backup when the overwritten file was in existence, I would have my old file back. You may have to rename it if you wish to keep both. Luv it! Next time, do a habit of doing a “save as” so as to give you a chance to rename it if you want to keep both versions.

 

[TonyAguila]

By the way, I’m not always gushing over an app like Time Machine until my recent adventure. I was having major problems with installing and updating the recent beta versions of macOS, when in the middle of it all, and I don’t even remember how it happened myself, when somehow my “jobs” volume disappeared. This contained virtually ALL of the jobs/projects I did for my clients, going back decades. If you are wondering why I never broke it up based on time (by month, year, years, or decades), it was not possible because a lot of the present-day projects I work on in the present can have links (images, text, etc.) that would create major duplication problems if I were to
“collect” each project every time. Anyway, please trust that I thought about it but am still convinced that there was no other way.

I have redundant methods of backing up data, but only Time Machine can back up everything. That’s why I have three Time Machine drives, each 12 terabytes, doing hourly backups in sequence. To make a long story short, I managed to recover everything using Time Machine. TM also has the feature of culling older files when they get filled up, but usually the oldest files are not pertinent anymore. The panic was over. I’m presently using three 12-terabyte hard drives because I always consult the reports from BackBlaze on the most reliable large drives in the market. Once they approve the larger ones, I will probably switch to them.

Oh, and never use RAID drives for Time Machine. Never! Enough said.

 

[Papa_Doc]

BTW: I do not remember the folder that contained the file. but remember only the file name
Alternative to TM is a recover app like WonderShare RecoverIt. app, did you try that ? expensive. Is there a cheaper recover app ?

 

[TonyAguila]

BTW: I do not remember the folder that contained the file. but remember only the file name
Alternative to TM is a recover app like WonderShare RecoverIt. app, did you try that ? expensive. Is there a cheaper recover app ?

My information source for many applications is MacUpdate.

MacUpdate Search

www.macupdate.com

They have ratings, user comments, alternatives, etc. I have it set as my home web page, and the first place I consult regarding updates to the apps I use. You should check it out.