You can use the Finding pane of the Files toolbar item to create, remove, and update the locate database.locate
is a UNIX command that you can use to quickly find a file or a folder by searching the locate database (which is an index of all items stored on the storage device). When the operating system is installed, this database doesn't exist, and you must create it and update it regularly if you want to use the locate
command.
After the database has been created, then you can search for items. Click a list item to have it appear in the Finder. This pane also displays the size of the database and the date of last update.
Note: The database created by the locate command is complementary to the database created by Spotlight. Searching for content in your home folder is very limited using the locate database, but it is superior to using Spotlight when looking for macOS components and installed software.
Warning: Creating and rebuilding the locate database may take a long time. Wait for the task to complete.