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Mochi
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Search

3 min read

Press ⌥Space to open the search window. Type what you are looking for and press ↩ to open it.

TypeDetails
ApplicationsEverything in your Applications folder, including built-in apps such as Safari
Files and foldersYour home folder, using the macOS Spotlight index
System settingsPanes and options inside System Settings
Browser tabsTabs open in Safari, Chrome, Arc and other browsers
Clipboard historyEverything you have copied. See Clipboard history
SnippetsBy keyword, name, or text inside the snippet
Emoji and symbolsBy common name, such as happy or party
CalculationsMaths, units, currency, time zones. See Calculations and conversions
Mochi commandsStart a recording, take a screenshot, open the colour picker
Running processesBy name, process ID, or the port they are using
Homebrew packagesSearch, install and update packages

Limit a search to one type

Type a prefix before your search term. The prefix becomes a label next to the text field, and what you type after it is treated as the search term. Press ⌫ with the field empty to remove the label.

Examples

app: safari

Applications only

f: invoice

Files and folders

clip: postgres

Clipboard history

snip: address

Snippets

emoji: party

Emoji and symbols

> record

Mochi commands

kill node

Processes named node

kill :3000

The process using port 3000

brew ripgrep

Homebrew packages

The Top Hit label

The first result is labelled Top Hit when Mochi has a strong match for what you typed. If the best match is a weak one, the label is left off and the result appears under a normal heading instead. It is still listed first.

How results are ordered

Mochi ranks results by how well they match your text, what type of item they are, and what you have opened before. If you choose the same result for the same search a few times, it starts appearing first. This preference fades after about a month of not using it.

Typing a full name always takes priority. If you type mail in full, you get Mail, regardless of your recent choices.

Actions and previews

  • Press ⌘K on any result to see what else you can do with it: copy a file path, reveal it in Finder, copy an app's bundle ID, paste a snippet instead of copying it, and so on.
  • Press ⌘Y to preview a file with Quick Look. Press it again, or ⎋, to close the preview and return to the search window.

Typing mistakes

Mochi allows for two kinds of typo: two letters swapped (chrmoe) and one extra letter (chroome). Both rank below an exact match. Search terms shorter than four letters are matched exactly, because short words with a letter changed are usually different words.

The empty search window

With nothing typed, you see the items you have opened recently, followed by the quick actions pinned along the bottom.

Can I use Mochi instead of Spotlight?

Yes. Many people change the Spotlight shortcut in System Settings and use ⌥Space for Mochi, or keep both. The two do not conflict.

A file I know exists does not appear.

File results come from the macOS index. Check System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy for folders that have been excluded from indexing. Searching with f: limits results to files, which helps you tell an indexing problem from a ranking one.

Does search look inside files?

It searches whatever the macOS index holds, which includes the contents of most document types. Screenshots are also searchable by the text inside the image.

Is my search history sent anywhere?

No. What you type, what it matched and what you opened all stay on your Mac.