REVIEW · FREE DISK SEARCH
Verdict: EasyFind is still a good free tool for precise searches: it finds files and folders by name, content, tags or comments without any index, using Boolean operators, wildcards, phrases and regular expressions. It has not had a major update in a while, so treat it as a dependable utility rather than a modern search app.
22 October 2026 · By Ishtiaque Hossain · 4 minute read · reviews EasyFind 5.0.2
Looking for a file you can describe but not name? Try Shlexball. The first 30 searches are free and need no account.
macOS 15 or later. Apple silicon. 16 GB memory. On a phone? Email yourself the link.
This review is based on EasyFind's own pages, read on 14 October 2026. Every claim links to the page it came from. We are the makers of Shlexball, so we say plainly where EasyFind does better.
| Price | Free; part of DEVONtechnologies' freeware |
| Version | 5.0.2; requires OS X El Capitan or later |
| What it searches | Files and folders by name, content, tags or comments |
| Index needed | None; it searches without indexing and uses very little memory |
| Search syntax | Boolean operators, wildcards, phrases and regular expressions |
| Best for | Precise, thorough searches when Spotlight is not enough |
EasyFind is a free search utility from DEVONtechnologies, the company behind DEVONthink. Its pitch is short: Spotlight is great, but sometimes you need something more specialized.
It finds files and folders by name, content, tags or comments. DEVONtechnologies offers it as freeware, alongside a handful of other small utilities it says belong on every Mac.
Beyond the list of files, EasyFind shows previews and offers other options for working with what it finds.
Most Mac search tools, including Spotlight, rely on an index: a list of files and words built ahead of time so searches return instantly. EasyFind does not require indexing.
DEVONtechnologies says it is still fast and uses very little memory. Searching without an index also means EasyFind is not limited to what an index happens to cover.
The company's own screenshot caption sums up the balance: EasyFind can be very thorough, while filters, operators and sorting options keep results manageable.
EasyFind supports advanced Boolean operators similar to those in DEVONthink and DEVONagent. Boolean operators are words such as AND, OR and NOT that combine or exclude terms, so you can ask for files that mention one word but not another.
It also accepts wildcards (a symbol that stands for any letters, useful when you only remember part of a name), exact phrases, and regular expressions, a compact pattern language for matching text precisely.
Together these make EasyFind good at precise questions: a file whose name contains a client's name and a year, or a document containing an exact phrase you remember word for word.
Because EasyFind is thorough, a broad search can return a lot. DEVONtechnologies' answer is its filters, operators and sorting options, so start specific: search names first, then content, and sort the results to bring the newest or largest files up.
Tags and comments are worth remembering too. EasyFind can search both, so if you label files in the Finder, a tag can find a whole project in one search.
When you find a likely match, use the preview before opening it. EasyFind shows previews and offers other options for working with files, which saves opening a dozen wrong documents.
The current version is 5.0.2, and it requires OS X El Capitan or later. Its release note says this version brought full support for M1-based Macs, a modernized toolbar, an updated Brazilian Portuguese localization and fixes for known issues.
On the same download page, DEVONtechnologies notes macOS 27 compatibility fixes for several of its other apps, such as DEVONagent Pro and DEVONsphere Express. The EasyFind entry does not mention macOS 27.
That does not mean it fails on the newest macOS, but it does mean you should try it on your own Mac before relying on it.
EasyFind suits people who like precise search syntax and want something more thorough than Spotlight without paying for it.
If you already use DEVONthink or DEVONagent, the Boolean operators will feel familiar, because DEVONtechnologies says they are similar.
EasyFind rewards exact words and patterns. Shlexball is built for the opposite case: you describe the file in plain English and it finds it from what you remember, searching names and the text inside files, including PDFs and Word documents.
Like EasyFind, Shlexball searches your folders directly, not only through the Spotlight index, and it is read-only. The first 30 searches are free and need no account.
EasyFind needs the right words. Shlexball widens the request by meaning and ranks by fit: 30 free searches.
▶ DOWNLOAD SHLEXBALLYes. DEVONtechnologies offers EasyFind as freeware, free to use.
No. EasyFind does not require indexing, so it searches without relying on an index such as Spotlight's.
Yes. It finds files and folders by name, content, tags or comments.
Version 5.0.2 brought full support for M1-based Macs. Its download entry does not mention macOS 27, so test it on your Mac.
It is more specialized. DEVONtechnologies calls Spotlight great and offers EasyFind for when you need more: searching without an index, with Boolean operators, wildcards, phrases and regular expressions.