How do I find a video on my Mac by what's on screen or what's said in it?
Finder only searches video file names. Trawl samples frames of each video to read text on screen and recognise scenes, and transcribes the speech, so you can find a screen recording by a word that appeared in it.
The built-in way (free)
- Name your recordings clearly when you save them.
With Trawl
- Type a word that appeared on screen or was spoken.
- Use the Vid key for videos only.
Describe it. Trawl finds it.
Files, photos, recordings, every browser and your clipboard, searched by meaning on your Mac. Your day, hour by hour. Nothing uploaded.
Download for Mac2 days free · macOS 26+ · Apple siliconRelated
Updated 2026-10-11.