locate database / Find...

locate is a Unix command that allows you to quickly find a file or a folder by searching the locate database which is an index of all items stored on the hard disk. When installing the system, this database doesn't exist and you must create it and update it regularly if you want to use the locate command.


Utilities > Find... panel:

In the Utilities panel, the Find tab allows you to create, remove and update the locate database. Once the database is created then you can search items. Click on a list item to display it in the Finder. This panel also displays the size of the database and the date of last update.

Maintenance > Rebuild panel:

If the locate database has already been created, it can be updated from the Rebuild tab in the Maintenance panel.

Warning: Creating and rebuilding the "locate"-database can take a long time. Please be patient!