Mac Finder Can’t Find Files On The PC? Best Info In 2023

Finder is one of the most popular and widely used apps on Mac computers. More often than not, Finder is termed as the file management tool in Apple computers. When your Mac boots up, the Finder is the first thing that you see on the screen. The window appears automatically and remains in the background as you use other apps.  Moreover, it’s the first place where you go to find apps and files. Sometimes Mac Finder can’t find files and there are numerous reasons behind this problem.

In general, it could be a temporary glitch or the particular file is hidden away. If that happens, there are a number of ways you can find the files and display them on your computer. 

Relaunch finder 

Regardless of the operating system you use, the app freezes and crashes sometimes. If you use Finder often, you will notice your computer performing sluggishly. Apparently, the files downloaded on the device may not appear in the app window. 

In this case, you need to reopen the Finder window. To fix this issue, press down the Command + Option + Escape keys and then wait for the Force Quit Application list to appear. Scroll to the bottom, select Finder, and then select Relaunch.  When the Finder window reopens, see if the files you are looking for appear in the list. It might be due to storage issues or inappropriate availability of RAM. Deleting unnecessary apps and files can also prove to be an efficient fix to solve the issue of Finder Can’t Find Files. 

Check out search feature

The built-in search feature in Finder integrates strong search algorithms that allow you to get path of file Mac system just instantly. In the Finder window, you can see the search bar on the top-right side. Type in the name of the file you are searching for in the search bar. 

If you fail to finder search not working result that appears in the window, check and modify the search parameters. When you are looking for a music file, but the file ‘kind’ setting in the Search parameter is set to image, it will not appear in the search results.  Check for all the search criteria and the values selected against each parameter. Modifying the values can help find the right file. You may require checking the search parameters for each individual search to ensure that the file you are searching for exists on the Mac.  

Show hidden files 

If you are looking for a system file, the chances are that the macOS has stored it in a hidden mode somewhere on the storage media. The reason is that these files are sensitive, and deleting any of them accidentally can negatively affect your computer performance. 

Sometimes, you need to view these files to fix a technical glitch on your computer. Most system files are stored inside the Library folder. So, navigate to the Library folder to view application files or other data files.  To see the hidden files, open the Finder app and find the Macintosh HD folder. Select Home, and press Command + Shift + . keys simultaneously and check if all the hidden files have become visible. The system files are visible for a shorter duration, so keep that in mind. 

View files in terminal

The macOS Terminal is an alternate way that you can use when Mac Finder Can’t Find Files you are looking for. Using Terminal in the macOS or the Windows operating system eliminates the need to install third-party apps for executing a task on Mac computers.  Although Terminal is a powerful go-to tool that allows you to handle many tasks at no extra cost, using it can be tricky for many users. So, if you are a novice user, make sure you have a backup of important files so that you can restore data if anything goes wrong. 

To view the hidden files via Terminal on a Mac computer, open the app by navigating to Utilities in Applications. Locate the app and click to open it on your system. Then type in the script. $ default write com.apple.Finder Apple Show All Files true

Open greyed-out folders 

When you find that some of the files in the Finder window are greyed out, you will not be able to open them. You can see these files in the Finder, but they are greyed out, so you can’t open them. Clicking on them repeatedly doesn’t help. The problem occurs when your Mac sets the date to January 24, 1984, the birth date of Macintosh. A power outage or an incorrect file system entry can cause the error. You can fix Finder Can’t Find Files by using Terminal or other alternate ways. 

Launch the Finder and then select the files that display the incorrect date. Open the Applications folder, click Utilities, and then click Terminal. Type in the following command. Type Set File –d <current date> <path to greyed out folder>. Enter Return.

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