Change Finder search scope to the current folder

Finder's search has a default scope that decides where it looks every time you type a query — and out of the box, that's "This Mac." If you'd rather it start in the folder you're already in, you're changing one setting with three possible values. Here's what each one means, and how to switch to Search the Current Folder from Settings or the Terminal.

The three scope options

Finder's search scope isn't a simple on/off — it's a choice between three behaviours, and picking the right one is the whole game:

• Search This Mac — every search covers your entire indexed drive, regardless of the open folder. This is the factory default.
• Search the Current Folder — every search is limited to the folder you have open and its contents. The scope moves with you as you change folders.
• Use the Previous Search Scope — Finder repeats whichever scope you last chose in the scope bar, so it "remembers" your last decision instead of imposing one.

For most people, current-folder is the better default: searches are usually about something nearby, and the times you need the whole Mac are the exception. The behaviour is identical on macOS 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, and 15 Sequoia.

Switch it in Finder Settings

1. Choose Finder → Settings from the menu bar (Preferences on older releases).
2. Open the Advanced tab.
3. Set the When performing a search menu to Search the Current Folder.

Close the window and your next search obeys the new scope immediately — no restart needed.

Or set the scope code directly

Each option maps to a short code stored in one preference, so you can set it in a script or across machines:

# Set the default search scope to the current folder
defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf"
killall Finder

# Change it back to This Mac
defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCev"
killall Finder

The mapping is SCcf for the current folder, SCev for This Mac, and SCsp for the previous scope — the same three options from the menu, in code form. killall Finder relaunches Finder so the change registers.

The default and the scope bar work together

Changing the default doesn't remove your ability to switch mid-search. Whatever scope you set here is simply where each search begins. As soon as results appear, a scope bar sits beneath the toolbar with buttons — typically the folder's name and This Mac — and clicking one re-runs that search with the new scope. So the default handles the common case automatically, and the scope bar covers the exceptions. If you chose Use the Previous Search Scope instead, that scope bar is exactly what Finder watches: your last click there becomes the starting point for the next search.

If you're not sure which default suits you, start with Search the Current Folder for a week. It's the option that surprises people least, because it does what you'd expect from having a folder open, and switching to another choice is a five-second trip back to the same menu.

Save a scope you use often

If you keep running the same folder-scoped search, turn it into a saved Smart Folder so it's one click next time. See how to use Smart Folders on Mac to keep a live, self-updating search in your sidebar.