How to find anything on your Mac in 2026

Most "where is it" problems fall into five kinds: a file, a photo, something you watched or read online, something you copied, or something someone said. Each has a built-in answer and a limit.

Files: Spotlight (⌘ Space) and Finder search (⌘ F) match names and words inside many documents. The limit is exact words. If you only remember the topic, you need meaning search.

Photos: the Photos app searches its own library by objects and places. Images in folders, Downloads and chats are left out.

Pages and videos: each browser keeps its own history (⌘ Y), searchable by title words. YouTube keeps a watch history if you were signed in.

Copied text: macOS keeps only the last copy, plus a short history in Spotlight on macOS 26.

Something said: you need a transcript with timestamps.

Trawl puts all five behind one box. Describe it in your own words, or say it, and it searches files, photos, recordings, every browser and your clipboard by meaning, on your Mac. Press ⌘ D to see your whole day.