Fuzzy Search
Type a few characters and GoToFile will show matching items instantaneous. Fuzzy Search means you can leave out characters and type only the more pregnant ones. It's just the order that matters. Typing upper-case characters will favour items with those characters at word boundaries. GoToFile can search by file name or by complete path.
Built for Performance
GoToFile is engineered for speed — even at scale. Tested with an index over 300k files and folders, it delivers instant results. On a 2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, your search result appears in under 50 milliseconds. Every keystroke brings real-time feedback — no waiting, no lag.
Despite its power, GoToFile is incredibly lightweight. With the test index loaded GoToFile uses just 100 MiB of memory — less than Safari consumes showing a blank Google search page.
File Management
GoToFile puts essential file management right at your fingertips — copy, move, rename, duplicate, trash, and more. Instantly create new folders and populate them with your copy/move sources.
This works in every mode: Search, Browser, Recent Items, Marked Items
Metadata
GoToFile goes beyond file names. Effortlessly search by date, age, or date components to pinpoint exactly what you need. Want files created in the first quarter of a specific year? Or everything from the third calendar week, no matter the year? GoToFile makes it simple. You can search by file size or instantly locate symbolic links — giving you precise control over every search.
Application Filter
Activate the application filter to use GoToFile in place of any application's File>Open… dialog. It couldn't be simpler: Bring up GoToFile and press ⌘\. Instantly GoToFile only shows files supported by the frontmost application. Why spend time.
File Kinds
GoToFile groups filename extensions into file kinds. These have been implemented as a hierarchy. For example, the "Image" file kind has the following structure: Image > Pixel > Lossless. This way, you can search for images in general, or perhaps for pixel image formats only.
File kinds are completely user configurable.
Path Filter
GoToFile provides ad-hoc path filters which allow you to temporarily focus on, or ignore folders in your current project.
Recent Items
GoToFile's Recent Items Mode surfaces your most recently created or modified files and folders, sorted by date from newest to oldest, no matter how they were created or modified. Jump straight to what you've touched lately, without digging.
Marked Items
Mark items on the fly with a single keystroke for later use. They’ll be collected in GoToFile’s Marked Items mode for you to process further—this is your staging area whenever you need one.
Browser
GoToFile's Browser Mode lets you navigate your filesystem just like Finder — but with full control at your fingertips. Use it to inspect folders and switch instantly to Search Mode (and back) without losing your query or selection. Two powerful modes, no window clutter, zero friction.
macOS Integration
Seamlessly integrated into macOS, GoToFile appears in the Services menu. Need that file stored deep inside the folder you look at in Finder? A keystroke and you have access to GoToFile’s recursive search. No Spotlight required. Drag&drop is supported.
GoToFile and the Command Line
From Terminal, fire it up to explore or search your current directory on the spot. Or you need the path of a file in your command line prompt? Bring up GoToFile, do your search, press ⌘⏎ and be done in a second.
Regular Expressions
Use powerful regular expression matching for ultimate control. Match specific character classes, alternates, or complex filename patterns with surgical precision. Or use them without special characters for near-literal searches.
Buit-in Actions
In addition to the basic file management operations, GoToFile provides many useful actions: QuickLook, Open, Open in Frontmost Application, Open With…, Copy Path/Last Path Component to Clipboard, Reveal in File File Manager, Open Path in Terminal, Type Path/Last Path Component in Frontmost Application.
User Actions
Need an action that is not provided by GoToFile? Build it yourself! User defined actions allow you to execute any application or script. Show output in Terminal or as a searchable list in GoToFile itself.
Search Scopes
GoToFile uses search sets called projects. A project consists of one or more folders to search and rules which state which subfolders are to be ignored and which items are to be excluded from or included in the index. Indexes are kept in memory and updated in realtime.
Configurable Keyboard Shortcuts
GoToFile has been developed with customizability in mind. Every action you can perform has a keyboard shortcut. And every keyboard shortcut can be configured.
Additional Resources
System requirements
GoToFile supports all macOS versions from Big Sur (11.5) to Tahoe (26). It requires a 64bit Intel or Apple Silicon Mac. Both architectures are supported natively.