View Tagged Files and Folders on a Mac: Finder/Spotlight

You carefully tagged your files and folders, lured by the promise of better productivity — so why can’t you find them now? Find out here how to view tagged files and folders on a Mac ⤓ using Finder and Spotlight.

First, Warm and Bitter

It’s so tempting — and almost always unwise: reheating coffee only makes it bitter (as, I am told, chlorogenic acids break down into their harsher components).

Coffee stays warm best from within — by not letting it cool down at all. If ever you brew more than one cup, give them shelter in a thermos bottle until it’s time to drink.

Now, documents, too, deserve to be kept warm and safe in folders — but are best enjoyed, perhaps, through the flavor of tags:

How to View Tagged Files and Folders on a Mac: Finder and Spotlight

Tagged for success?

⇆ Buy La De Du a tea

Tips help fuel these email and tech how-tos.

Choose Tags to Appear in the Finder Sidebar

To choose which tags appear directly in the Finder sidebar:

1. Open Finder settings.
   Here’s how: Select Finder | Settings… in Mac Finder.
   Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command , (comma).
2. Go to the Tags tab.
3. Check all tags you want to appear in the sidebar.

So you have something to see: How to Tag Files and Folders on a Mac

Using Spotlight Search to Find by Tag

To list files and folders by tag using Spotlight search:

1. Open Spotlight search.
   Here’s how: Click the Spotlight button in the menu bar or press Command Space to open Spotlight.
2. Select Files.
   Here’s how: Hover the mouse cursor over the Spotlight Search dialog and select Files or press Command 2.
3. Type tag: followed by the tag whose files and folders you want to see.
   This and that: You can use tag: more than once to search for items that have all tags.
   This or that: To see all items that carry any of a number of tags, separate the tags with OR.
   Examples: tag:la de du finds items with the tag La De Du; tag:la de du tag:yellow everything that has both tags and tag:la de du OR tag:yellow files and folders that have either tag or both.
   

Searching for Tagged Files in Mac Finder

To use Finder search to find files and folders by tag:

1. Open Finder search.
   Here’s how: Click the search button in a Finder window’s toolbar or select File | Find from the menu.
   Finder keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command F to focus Finder search.
2. Start typing any tag’s name.
3. Use auto-complete to select the desired tag from the menu.
   Operator: You can also use the tag: search operator followed by the tag’s name.
   Example: tag:la de du will search for the tag La De Du.
   

Save Searches for Tagged Files as Smart Folders in Finder

To set up a Smart Folder that combines searching for tagged files with other search criteria:

1. Start with a search for the desired tag in Finder; see above.
2. Click + in the folder’s header area to add another criterion.
   Example: Use Last opened date to see only files and folders accessed recently.
3. Click Save.
   
4. Choose a name and location for the Smart Folder.
5. Click Save again.
   How it’s useful: Open the folder at any time to perform the search again.

How to View Tagged Files and Folders on a Mac: FAQ

What does the minus sign (undetermined state) mean in Finder settings on the “Tags” tab?

On the Tags tab in Finder settings, you can choose which tags are visible in the sidebar: on or off. Still, tags can have one of three states:

Status	Meaning
checked	set to (always) appear in the Finder sidebar
unchecked	not set to always appear and does not currently appear in the sidebar
minus (undecided)	not set to always appear but currently appears in the sidebar as a recently used tag (when including recently used tags is enabled)

Can I also see tagged files in Mac Terminal?

Yes.

Using mdfind and a third-party utility, you can conveniently browse tagged files in the Mac Terminal app.

(Tested with macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.3; first published October 2025, last updated March 2026)