EverythingMac is an open-source, native macOS file-search app derived from Cardinal and the seedds Cardinal fork, inspired by Everything for Windows.
It combines SwiftUI controls, an AppKit results table, and a Rust search engine. Search indexed filenames and paths, narrow results by folder, and work with files using familiar macOS actions.
Cardinal 0.1.23 and EverythingMac 0.1.81 were timed on the same Mac, indexing the same 5.83 million files and folders. The table compares the search engines, not the apps' interfaces, and gives the median of three alternating rounds. The Mac was busy at the time (load average 31–44). The method and full results are in the performance report.
| Operation | Cardinal 0.1.23 | EverythingMac 0.1.81 | Faster by |
|---|---|---|---|
Full scan of / |
16.2 s | 13.2 s | 1.2× |
| Opening the saved index | 3.56 s | 1.68 s | 2.1× |
Search report |
47.3 ms | 7.4 ms | 6.4× |
Search e (4.2 million matches) |
307 ms | 4.9 ms | 63× |
Search *.swift |
58.3 ms | 10.1 ms | 5.8× |
Search ext:pdf |
217 ms | 5.4 ms | 40× |
Search infolder:/Applications plist |
56.1 ms | 12.6 ms | 4.4× |
| Empty search (all 5.83 million) | 29.5 ms | 12.4 ms | 2.4× |
Peak memory and index size are about the same. Saving the index takes 0.84 s instead of 0.68 s; EverythingMac's index also carries a checksum that opening verifies.
brew install --cask seedds/tap/everythingOr download the Apple Silicon DMG from the
latest release.
The cask installs EverythingMac.app in /Applications.
To update:
brew update
brew upgrade --cask seedds/tap/everythingThe published release targets Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. Development validation has used an M4 Pro on macOS 27; actual macOS 14 and Intel execution remain unverified. Releases are ad-hoc signed and are not notarized. macOS may require approval in Privacy & Security and renewed permissions after an update.
Launch the installed app and grant Full Disk Access in System Settings when needed to search protected locations. Normal startup opens the saved index or scans the configured root when no index exists. Choose the monitored root and configure scope and exclusions in Settings → Index (Command-,). The index covers the startup disk; add other drives to Include paths to search them.
Type a filename or a query such as report*.txt. Use the Folder scope field to
narrow the results and Aa for case sensitivity. Press Down to enter results,
Space for Quick Look, or Command-R to reveal a selection in Finder.
The default activation shortcut is Command-Shift-Space and can be changed in Settings → General. Command-/ opens Search & Shortcuts. The Search Library button beside the search field contains recent and saved searches.
| Guide | Contents |
|---|---|
| User guide | Search controls, file actions, exclusions, history, storage, and permissions. |
| Development | Build setup, architecture, validation, packaging, and releases. |
| Performance | Measurement tools and versioned benchmark results with their limitations. |
| History | Engineering decisions, important regressions, and recorded validation. |
To build from source, install Xcode and the pinned Rust toolchain described in the
developer guide, then run ./run.sh from the
repository root. Source builds create a separate app under build/.
Report bugs and suggestions in GitHub Issues, including the app version, macOS version, and steps to reproduce. Avoid including private file paths or index snapshots unless you intend to share them.
EverythingMac is distributed under the MIT license. Original upstream copyright notices are retained. Credits to Cardinal and Everything appear above; source provenance records the original engine revision and compatibility references.