Finding specific things

Rebuilding an all-files view in Finder

Updated 2026-10-30 · 3 min read

No current Finder has an All My Files item, so you build the view yourself. A Smart Folder gets close, and it is honest about what it can't reach.

Make a Smart Folder

Finder no longer has an All My Files item, so there is no setting that brings it back. Its place in the sidebar went to Recents, which lists what you opened or changed lately, not everything. To get a list of everything, build it:

1. In Finder, choose File > New Smart Folder.
2. Check that This Mac is selected in the bar near the top of the window.
3. Click the + on the right, below the search field, and set the rule to Kind is Any (or Document for documents only).
4. Click Save, name it, and tick Add To Sidebar.

The folder lists matching files and stays up to date, because it is a saved search rather than a real folder. In list view, click a column heading to sort by it. A Smart Folder can also be made from any Finder search by clicking Save. More in how Smart Folders work.

What Recents shows instead

Choose Go > Recents, or press ⇧⌘F, which Apple describes as opening the Recents window with files you viewed or changed recently. It is a history, so a file you haven't touched in months won't be in it. It is useful for yesterday's work and no use for an all-files list, because anything older simply isn't there.

Where your files really live

Most personal files are in a handful of folders in your home folder: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music and Pictures, plus iCloud Drive if you use it. Browsing those directly is often better than a catch-all list. Default Mac folders explains what goes where.

Shortcuts for the main ones, from Apple's list: ⇧⌘H home, ⇧⌘D Desktop, ⇧⌘O Documents, ⌥⌘L Downloads, ⇧⌘I iCloud Drive.

What a Smart Folder leaves out

A Smart Folder is a Spotlight query, so it only shows what Spotlight indexed, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave out much of the contents of ~/Library. Packages (an app is a folder of files) and unindexed disks are also missing. A drive that isn't connected shows nothing. If the Smart Folder seems short, check that the search scope really says This Mac, not a single folder.

An "everything" list is also very long. Narrow it with a second rule, such as Last modified date within the past month, or File Size above a limit. The rule names come from Finder's own list: Name, Last modified date, Last opened date, Created date, File Size and Contents are among them.

Making the list readable

Switch the Smart Folder to list view and click a column heading to sort. Choose View > Use Groups, then pick what to group by under View > Group By, to split the list into sections, for example by Kind or by date. On a Mac with years of files, grouping by date keeps the top of the list to recent work, and the rest is a scroll away. To change the rules later, Control-click the Smart Folder in the sidebar and look for Show Search Criteria. Smart Folders are saved searches, so deleting one never deletes the files it lists. Delete files only from their real location.

The Terminal version

For a plain listing of your own files, this prints the 50 most recently changed files under your home folder, newest first, with their dates:

find ~ -path ~/Library -prune -o -path '*/.*' -prune -o -type f -print0 2>/dev/null | xargs -0 stat -f '%Sm  %N' -t '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M' | sort -r | head -50

The two -prune parts skip Library and hidden folders, stat prints each file's modification date, and sort -r puts the newest on top. It only reads. On a large home folder it can take a while, and macOS may ask whether your terminal app can read folders like Desktop and Documents; files in folders it can't read are left out. For one kind of file, see finding videos and photos.

Browsing by name instead

If what you want is to find a file, not to browse, a name search is faster than any list. In Everywhere, the Docs button with the Newest sort lists documents across the Mac by date modified, newest first. Add path:Documents to narrow it, or a word from the name. Without Full Disk Access it can't see Desktop, Documents or iCloud Drive, so grant that first.

Common questions

Where did All My Files go on a Mac?

Apple removed it from Finder, and Recents took its place in the sidebar. Recents shows files you used lately, and a Smart Folder with Kind set to Any can list everything Spotlight has indexed.

How do I find all my files on a Mac?

Choose File > New Smart Folder in Finder, keep the scope on This Mac, add the rule Kind is Any, then save it with Add To Sidebar ticked. It won't include most of Library or disks Spotlight doesn't index.

How do I see recent files on a Mac?

In Finder choose Go > Recents, or press Shift-Command-F. It lists files you viewed or changed recently.

Why is my Smart Folder missing files?

It's a Spotlight search, so it shows only indexed items. Most of Library, package contents and disconnected drives are left out, and the scope may be set to one folder instead of This Mac.