iSwitchd

Have you ever used the search feature in Windows? I’m sure you did, and I’m sure you’ve noticed how bad it is. It rarely finds the file you’re looking for, even though you know it’s on the computer. So basically you have to dig into your folders to retrieve that file. Well on OS X, searching for files works. If you’ve not used Spotlight yet, here’s a little guide.

Spotlight is the name for the OS X search tool. It’s the magnify icon in the menu bar on the top right. You can click it, or hit Command+Space on your keyboard to activate it. The search field appears beneath the menu bar and you’re ready to type!

Spotlight was introduced in OS X 10.4 Tiger, and it’s been improved a lot in Leopard, offering more features than just searching:

• Calculator
  Try typing ‘2+2′ for example, and you’ll get the result instantly.
• Application launcher
  Type the name of a program you want to start, wait for it to appear, then hit Enter.
• System Preferences launcher
  Same as for the applications, you can type ‘wallpaper’ for example, highlight the result under ‘System Preferences’ and you’re directly into the Wallpaper setting.
• Dictionary
  Type a word, and you’ll see a result to open its definition in the Dictionary.

There’s a System Preferences pane for Spotlight where you can select which items can be looked for. So you can set it not to search for emails for example.

I asked my ‘Mac’ friends if they use Spotlight, and I was surprised. They either said ‘No’ or even didn’t know about it! Spotlight completely changed the way I open files and start applications. I don’t bother anymore opening them by digging into my folders, I just use Spotlight.

How about you? Do you use Spotlight? Do you have any tips for it?

Further reading:
Inside Leopard: Spotlight