An Introduction To Mac Finder Tags

[@meeluanistyn1644]

I use tags to find folder’s quickly. It works well. For me it would be even better if there was a colour picker so I could assign my own choice of colours to tags e.g. lime green, light blue and tan brown.

[@laserall]

Yeah, I wish there were more colours, but tags is not really about the colour...

[@georgee3401]

Excellent tutorial. I never used tags because I didn’t understand the features, but this video has corrected my ignorance. I will certainly start using them to better organize my stuff. Many thanks!

[@rherwick]

One of the best episodes ever. I had a bunch of colors which were confusing with colored named tags. Didn't know you could delete them and rearrange with the Settings Menu in Finder.

[@radensj]

I never paid attention to tags... Wow, powerful stuff. You explain it so well! This will save me time,! Thank you!!

[@Bayplaces]

Knowing that I can organize which ones appear on the sidebar helped a lot. I sort of wish it auto-populated. I had deleted all the preset tags and was wondering where the custom ones I had created went. Tags had felt useless until this video. Thanks!

[@hoooodyhoooooo]

This video literally is a game changer, a HUGE THANK YOU! I am uploading certain types of excel spreadsheets with macros on daily basis into different tabs, but also like to have them in separate folders (based on product id, vendor and so on). So now I can simply select all files I need in a single upload and boom - they're all there sorted under "solution model", "deal model", "transactional" and so on, and it's purely intuitive because the colors are quite distinguishable! I cannot believe how much this has optimized my daily operational tasks! Will even share with colleagues, they will be thrilled!

[@vaniacastillo9600]

Thanks you so much for this tutorial, Gary! Definitely I’m going to start using tags now

[@AnnaGreenfield-n8j]

Tags are a game changer! I tag my current projects as green. I pull up the green tags, giving me a list of files to work on. When it's done, I remove the tag. It would be nice if I could add custom-color tags.

[@prof.michaell.walker]

This video + your video on iCloud Drive solves a major problem for me! I've been looking for a replacement for Evernote and Dropbox, and it's super clear that Apple already gave me a way to organize my files by folders AND tags and to have them backed up! Thanks so much for your videos!

[@hanshuber5659]

I use smart-folders for the differently tagged files. It works quite well👍

[@davidcking7]

Very cool explanation, Gary. I've used this feature sparingly mainly because I didn't understand how Tags worked. You've made that clear. Thank you!

[@mrfrano100]

I just started using tags. This gave additional ideas of how to find the best individual structure. Thanks

[@jacobwhitus3715]

I like this guy. Great videos with easy to follow instructions and he explains the concepts well. Good job Gary!

[@michaelhill6453]

Brilliant. I've never used tags in the Finder but I certainly will now. Thank you.

[@loisskiathitis8926]

A very useful and informative video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary! 👏❤️

[@taufikahmad7322]

very useful tutorial videos. I'd never used tags before, but once I tried them out, they really helped organize the files.

[@BradleySkaggsNYC]

Command Option I is a genius shortcut.

[@JanineMKartist]

omg. This has been an option for eons and I never thought to think of how I could use them. this will be so useful with photoshop and illustrator. Great tutorial!

[@JohnAspired]

Thank you so much. This has helped me gain a greater understanding of tags and I am looking forward to applying all of what you shared into my own tags. God Bless.

[@gregbowen617]

This is terrific info for someone as randomly unorganised as me! Thanks...

[@franknicholasdale918]

A very useful program, in fact Notes got me interested in tags , I now use tags for my files on my Mac, so useful

[@peterc2248]

What an idiot I am. I've only ever thought there were the six coloured tags. Never even considered being able to make up my own. Genious! Thanks again Gary

[@carolynlibby1]

This was so helpful! Thank you!

[@robertnelson3179]

O man this helps in so many ways for me I am OCD about finding and arranging files. I will have to check how it works with my NAS drive.

[@josefhab8095]

This one is very good. 👍 It took me quite a long time to find out why to use it and mainly to understand how it works. Recently I went to it again and now I use it a lot. Better than Smart Folder. It is very handy to have mixed files for specific projects (client Jones, Smiths), yes. And it is seen on all devices. Excellent.

[@NK-dd3qf]

Tags were very handy for filing taxes. I tagged all my 1099's and could access them very easily while filing tax returns.

[@carolinebarlow4795]

Thanks very much, Gary, for this detailed and informative video!

[@ChinhNguyen-yb3cp]

Thank you Gary. Great enlightment ❤

[@ivo4357]

another great new discovery for me. One thing I would have liked added though: you should be able to color new tags with any existing color you like (with a color wheel).

[@raymondw.stevensjr.5756]

Thank you, always wondered how to use tags.

[@cerebrumexcrement]

very helpful. thanks! im still using mac like a pc from 2007.

[@l3martin]

Thanks Gary for another great video!

[@MrTingle-qi2ne]

very useful as a coder. Not so much for individual files (though sometimes), but to create a collection of folders that are relevant to a project (artwork, invoices, code, notes) etc. I don't want my folder of git projects to have anything but code related stuff... It makes client meetings a hell of a lot easier too... won't look like a fool getting lost in my file system.

[@alanmclean1399]

Really useful feature, which I will use in future

[@quiltsick]

Of course another great tutorial!! I wish I would take more time to practice what you teach Off Topic Gary. Do you have a video on how to free up iCloud space? For the first time ever I got the dreaded notice that I have almost filled up the 200 GB I pay for 🙄

[@MazUKQ8]

Another super duper video!!! 👍🏻

[@haraldmuethel7546]

Besten Dank, wieder etwas dazu gelernt. Servus

[@andrewfinch2009]

Excellent, Gary. This is going to make filing tax returns so much easier. How come I didn’t know you could use more than one tag???

[@JeremyTheApe]

I'm curious how tag data is stored. I'm hesitant to move to labels over folders as I'm concerned the tag data could get lost. (For instance when backing up the files, moving to external hard drives, etc) It would be great to fully utilize them, definitely superior to folders from an organizational perspective 👍

[@macmost]

Stored as data in the Finder. You should get them back if restoring from Time Machine in case of a disaster.

[@gurlerium]

i have some management files and wondering how i can see as a group and here you are DOC. thnx for making the works easy.

[@CapsLock33]

Thank you for this video!!

[@philiprand3720]

Thanks once again!

[@bassplayinpapa]

Excellent. Thanks!

[@haydnhorne2505]

Ohh - you've done it Again !!!😁

[@simonduckworth5941]

Hi Gary, great video, I really like the idea of using tags and smart folders. Have just tried to do this with content on a NAS but the Mac won’t ‘see’ the tag on the file when it moves across to the NAS. Do tags not work across networks? Many thanks

[@macmost]

Probably depends on the NAS, but also the file system that the drive in the NAS is using. For instance if it is using a Windows format, then it may not be compatible with Mac file system things like tags and such.

[@simonduckworth5941]

@@macmost Ah ok - thanks Gary!

[@CraftsmanontheLake]

They are now useful. Thnx.

[@spousewife]

Very helpful thank you sir 👍

[@ArtGiser]

Very helpful, thanks

[@milwaukeebrewer9264]

I really like the idea of using the inspector. As someone else says, changing a tag's color would be nice. Orange is worthless to me, and I had to turn it off. I can't discern it from either red or yellow.

[@sowza1]

Great video, It got me motivated to try and use them again. One question, how can I change the tag options when I right click on a document? I'd like to have more regular tags be in the options when right-clicking. Thank you!

[@macmost]

Finder, Settings, Tags. Drag tags to the bottom part.

[@sowza1]

Thank you

[@desertpatient]

Thanks bunched

[@JandeBloois1952]

Very useful… as usual!

[@JavaChallengers]

Thanks for the video! However, sometimes, when I click on the tag to find files, no files appear on the right. Do you have any idea why this issue occurs?

[@macmost]

If you are sure you have files with that tag, then maybe try a spotlight re-index?

[@GTOgeorge]

Thanks for the tutorial. Is there a way to create levels of tags or do I need to setup separate tags for each element? eg, recipes and then chicken, beef, fish under that.

[@macmost]

I don't know of any tagging system that has levels. No need for it. Tag them as you like: recipes, chicken, beef, etc.

[@truthterrain3484]

Excellent! Is it possible to tag multiple files at once?

[@macmost]

Yes. Select multiple files and use any of the methods I show.

[@nakedtrader3959]

Usefull info!

[@johnfranklin6999]

Gary, question for you. Are tags prioritized? For instance, I have 3 folders, 1. X, 2. Y, and 3. Z. I want 1. X folder to have a Red tag, 2.Y to have a Green tag, and 3. Z to have a Blue tag. When I assign the respective tag color to the folders, the folder order changes. For instance 3. Z will be at the top of the list. Not what I want, I want 1. X (Reg tag) to be at the top of the file order.

[@macmost]

Not sure. Experiment to find out.

[@1957ShutterBug]

The top things that would make Apple Pay more useful are educating clerks that it exists and how it works. Also equipping drive throughs with mobile equipment that your watch can reach while on your wrist. I have had clerks refuse to take a watch payment because they had no idea that it was a real option and not a scam. I have also had clerks tell me i had to remove my watch and hand it to them because they lacked the proper equipment. Generally a manager can sort out the ignorance issue, but the hand me your watch approach is met with a cancel my order and I drive off.

[@nuclear_reactor5x5]

amazing

[@rickzabala6020]

I'm always learning but is there software that can make it easier. Mail has same but now placed on side bar, is there a way to organize such.

[@sheermagic]

Great video. If I tag a file with a colour and then send it to someone else can they see the colour tag?

[@macmost]

No. That is for your filesystem.

[@snappedpixel]

Hi Gary, great intro to tags - I like to tag anywhere and everywhere possible! There's an issue I can't find a solution to and elsewhere on the web has drawn a blank / suggested it is given up as a bad job. Not all of the ctrl-# short-cuts work on my MBP M1. Eg ctrl-1 and 2 seem to be system assigned to desktop/stage manager navigation. Can't find settings anywhere to change this. Just give up, or do you have some secret knowledge? 😉

[@macmost]

Control+1 is in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts (button), Mission Control (sidebar), Mission Control (expand that item) and you'll see Switch to Desktop 1.

[@invcark]

Wonderful 🎉!!!

[@usmcsully7183]

Hello, do you have a video explaining the iCloud menu in finder vs the Locations menu?

[@macmost]

Not sure which two things you are comparing. There is no "iCloud" menu in the menu bar in the Finder, nor is there a Locations menu. Can you be more specific?

[@ShawnWellingAXI]

can you add additional tag colors like cyst and so forth if so does anyone know how.

[@ShawnWellingAXI]

I mean CYAN

[@macmost]

No, you can create as many tags as you need, but you only have those basic colors to use.

[@ateliercunha2876]

Great videos! Thanks. I've been using tags for years but I miss one feature: making new tags, with new names but;... with my own colours. Transparent/no color tags are useful to make a search, but you can't see them in the files and folders. That's a pity.

[@husamejle]

You can assign a color to the new created tag he showed that in the video

[@ateliercunha2876]

@@husamejle Yes, I can use one of those existing colours, but I cannot add new colours, beyond those 7, to better distinguish the new tag(s). So either a repeated colour or no colour at all .-(

[@acffh]

@@ateliercunha2876 There are only six colors. Apple said so. Remember the old logo?

[@ateliercunha2876]

@@acffh Yes; they also add grey to tags. I would love more colors.

[@macmost]

You only have those colors. Think of the color as secondary. So maybe you have 30 tags that are work projects and they are all orange. You have 10 tags that are non-work and they are all blue, etc.

[@Julieskvz]

Hi Gary, thank you so much for this video. I have a question… How can I restore a tag? By accident I deleted a tag and it had one file assigned to it. I was trying to use/testing the tags but I clicked “delete” because I wanted to remove the tag from the file. Where do I look for the file?

[@macmost]

Right after doing it you could probably just have used Command+Z to undo. But now you'll just have to remember what file it was and find it. Search for it.

[@Julieskvz]

@@macmost I did undo but it did not restore it. We checked the trash can and the file is not there. I will search for it as you suggested. Thank you so much. 🙏🏻

[@Rodrigo-n6k]

Hello, I have a question. Is it possible to use multiple tags to find a document ? For example, lets say you have 3 files, 1 with the blue and red tag, other with the blue, red and purple and another with just red. Is it possible to select several tags to find just one of the files (select blue, red and purple tags to find just the last doc)? Thank you !!!!

[@macmost]

Yes. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGGcm6WqbquBhZo

[@jonbbradie]

Gary, what about adding new colors to the Tags palette? It would help further codify my filing system. Thx. -JB

[@acffh]

the official word from apple on this is SHUT UP THERE ARE ONLY SIX COLORS

[@macmost]

You can't do custom colors. Focus on the keyword for the tag itself, and think of the color as secondary. So maybe you have 30 tags that are work projects and they are all orange. You have 10 tags that are non-work and they are all blue, etc.

[@jonbbradie]

@@macmost So I guessed. Thx, Gary. -JB

[@RegiiPad]

Hey Gary I have some experiences to share with you about Mac OS UI. What’s the best channel to do so?

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean by that. If you have a how-to question, you can ask it here: macmost.com/ask

[@RegiiPad]

I don't have a question, I have some feedback about some misbehavior of buttons within preferences panes when accessing a mac remotely thru VNC or screen share. Remember those situation when when you have to approve on security preference the load of a KEXT? Well the approval button only works when pressed directly from a connected mouse. Remote access doesn't trigger the button process and the KEXT load is not approved. Do you understand now this is not a question or misbehavior? Preference panes doesn't work like other panes when used remotely by design. I thought this could be something to mention on some of your videos.

[@nortse500]

Hello, Thank you for your training and it’s great. I have one question. In the Keynotes I have slide transparent with white text. However, when I play to see the presentation, I can’t see the text only black slide. Thanking you

[@macmost]

Maybe your text is white, but transparent too? Try things, play around. Try changing the color of the text, the opacity, etc. Recreate the text from scratch. Experiment. That's you find problems and fix things.

[@nortse500]

@@macmost Thank you and greatly appreciated. I will to follow your instructions.

[@asraiSOA]

Tags don't seem to be recognized if the files are on a Windows server... is that correct or am I doing something wrong. I've 'tagged' a few files on our server, but when I try and Search for those tags, the files won't show in the search results.

[@p1g3onk1ng]

How do you change the order in which the tag groups appear? For instance, I have a tag for "Archived" files and when viewing them in the finder (in column view, grouped by tags), I'd like the files without tags to appear as a group ABOVE the "Archived" files group, since I want regular files to get visual priority.

[@macmost]

I don't see any way to do that. What's your goal? Maybe if I knew that, I could suggest something else.

[@Segreteria-t8i]

It's possibile to change the basic colors of the tags ?

[@JenniferEliseAtchiso]

It would be nice to have a folder action that would set the tag of anything added to the folder to the same tag(s) as the folder!

[@bobcleaver]

using hazel app would accomplish this

[@JenniferEliseAtchiso]

Yes, Hazel would probably work, but that functionality is built into MacOS… it’s just a matter of writing an AppleScript for it. And its been many years now since I have written one… Sooo… Gary, if you are reading this, People might find it useful(Hint, Hint!)

[@bobcleaver]

@@JenniferEliseAtchiso AppleScript is a very 'Gary R' solution but I am not skilled in AppleScript - hazel would be automatic and so would the AppleScript ?

[@haraldmuethel7546]

@@JenniferEliseAtchiso "Hint, hint." Süß - für mein Merkheft.

[@roberthallsworth]

Or you can just add the folder as a favourite in Finder?

[@ateliercunha2876]

Hello Gary, I use these colorful tags a lot. I quickly ran out of available ones. I created new tags with appropriate names. I would like to be able to create new colors, so that the new tags become visible. Still unable to create new colors? Just new names, in Sonoma? Just the same colors or no color? What about with Sequoia? .-) Thanks.

[@macmost]

No custom colors. I think the deal here is that more colors would be Gard to distinguish anyway. Red vs crimson? Dark blue vs navy blue? It may sound nice, but I bet Apple tested this and found it was frustrating.

[@ateliercunha2876]

@@macmost Fair enough ,-) Thanks Gary.

[@ignatius874]

I use Finder tags. Recently, I am finding the tags are duplicated. If I select a tag, each original file is listed twice. Have you ever encountered this error?

[@JAFOpty]

hi, is there a shortcut to clear the filter and show all files again? The only way I found is to click back and bunch of times. :(. thnx

[@macmost]

Back works sure. Or just navigate to somewhere else using a sidebar item or keyboard shortcut.

[@JAFOpty]

@@macmost thanks for the tip!

[@djr3386]

As there are limited numbers of tag colours, is it possible to use special characters, emojis etc as tags.

[@macmost]

I think so. Give it a try and see. Though it may make it harder to add tags via keyboard.

[@legrandmarquis]

My colleague tags a file once the related task has been completed. Unfortunately we (his colleagues) do not see his tags. We're using Macs and OneDrive. Can tags only be seen by the person who creates them? Do you know of any way to work around this?

[@macmost]

Probably because you reusing OneDrive. I don't think a non-Apple system would support Apple tags.

[@loralynlorch5206]

Under downloads there was only one older download but not the most recent ones.

[@Dagocart]

I like Tags but sometimes my tags and favorites are missing in iOS and show up after a while again

[@moth7457]

Could I add new tag colours, such as Black or Brown dots?

[@macmost]

No, those are the only color choices.

[@CourtneyS-ns5lt]

This all makes sense but when I transfer the file to another computer, all the tags disappear from the file. Can't be an OS issue because they are both macs running the same version. I tried sending it through multiple methods thinking it was a transferring system but the result is always the same. Is the tagging system only usable for a single device or am I missing something? Do you have any recommendations for adding searchable metadata in general? Cross platform would be nice but I'd just be happy with a mac only solution. So far everything I've found deals with custom scripting that goes a little over my head.

[@macmost]

If you use iCloud Drive, you should see the tags on both Macs. But if you send the file by itself, I can see that it probably doesn't bring tagging info with it, especially if it is a non-Apple formatted drive as that would not support it. What sort of metadata are you trying to add?

[@CourtneyS-ns5lt]

@@macmost Darn I thought that might be it. Tags or Keywords. I ended up skipping over the simplest solution because I've never used it. 😅 *_Adobe Bridge_* allows you to create and import Keyword libraries so that multiple people can use the same system of tagging. I'm lucky that I already had a subscription though. Windows lets you access and edit your metadata more easily but the only other easy to access & free solution I found on Mac was Exiftool that runs via the terminal. Mac's Photos app lets you edit your photo metadata but only photos.

[@wonkywombat]

Is it possible to bulk tag files of a particular extension type (ie. txt) in home folder and it's child folders?

[@macmost]

Sure. Start in the Home folder, search for files with that extension (in that folder only), select all of the results, tag them all at once.

[@wonkywombat]

@macmostvideo Thanks Gary. I should have thought of that!

[@carlos_mann]

Can I use this method on Windows?

[@ralphhennen5769]

Thanks for your session on this. How can I access these tags with a script command eg, > ls -l l grep [tag(s)]; ?

[@Strodie567]

I'm assuming that you are asking how to search for items with a particular tag. First you may want to know that if you use Spotlight or the Finder search field and type a tag name, say 'food', it will find all the items tagged with 'food'. But it will find other items that somehow contain 'food'. If you want only the items _tagged_ with 'food', search instead for 'tag:food'. OK, now I will answer your question. You want to use the command mdfind, which allows you to do a Spotlight-like search in the command line. So _mdfind tag:food_ will return the items tagged with 'food'. But in general I advice you to put your search string in quotes. That way you can use special characters and build complex queries with logic, etc.

[@haraldmuethel7546]

@@Strodie567 "If you want only the items tagged with 'food', search instead for 'tag:food'." Brillant advice, thank you. (Also in German) Servus

[@Strodie567]

Great that it worked! But regarding the quotes... You placed them around the tag. That is useful for example if the tag has spaces (yes, they *can* have spaces!). But what I meant was quotes (single or double, just be consistent) around the whole expression. So you can make a query like: mdfind "(tag:food OR tag:dessert) AND NOT tag:soup" Or even combine with other criteria like creation date or file type, etc.

[@driver288]

So….. if I need to work on both Windows and Mac, how does tags cope with that? Or if I move to windows at a later stage?

[@macmost]

Tags are a part of the macOS Finder and file system. Windows doesn't do anything with them. It doesn't know they exist.

[@driver288]

@@macmost exactly. That is a known problem with tags that should have been addressed I think. I get that this is a Mac only channel but for some that isn’t the whole picture. I for one, and I’m far from alone in this, use Macs for personal use but windows at work. Here work almost always equip you with a work computer. BYOD is not widespread here. Therefore employees don’t have much say in what platform is standard in the workplace. If you’re a Mac user having to switch or use both it’s a good piece if I do to include here that it’s Mac only. Tagging files isn’t a thing in windows yet.

[@vitasc]

Nice explanation but I still haven't found a practical use of tags 🤷🏻‍♂Just for color mark & "Important" things

[@faraway7696]

Every file (and scan) that I might use/need for my taxes gets a yellow tag. I have yellow marked files in my Bank folder and in my Receipts folder and in my Daughter folder and in my Medical folder and in my Insurance folder… etc. Once I (finally!) do my taxes: Hit the YELLOW TAG button and BOOM: All those files pop up.

[@vitasc]

@@faraway7696 Thanks. So you’ve “tax”files on the different devices through icloud? Then it’d work. But If you set yellow tag for your files than you’ll see all tagged ‘tax’ files for all periods, not for current. Right?

[@ricardoa.colon-padilla8168]

Very useful, but they doesn’t seem to work well with OneDrive.

[@robertgleason2838]

Very useful video. One issue I have is that tags used in Photos appear in the tag list, but the photos are not displayed when that tag is selected. Would be useful if there was a way to filter tags or group in categories so that the ones used by photos do not appear. Of course, I have the same tags used inside and outside of photos so that would be difficult. I have files used for genealogy software that are also in photos, with the same tags. I know there is not a solution that I am aware of, but still.

[@BenSussmanpro]

I don’t use the photos app. Rather, I store all my photos (jpegs) in a subfolder in Documents. That enables me to use tags like in any other document. As a side note, I’ve been a photographer over 20 yrs and I still don’t understand why you need a special app folder for photos!

[@macmost]

Ben: The Photos app has tons and tons of functionality just for photos. You can search by person or object in the photo, you can adjust and edit photos in various ways, you can share photos and create online galleries. Just to name a few. Plus, the best feature is you can use iCloud Photos and when you take a photo on your iPhone it is automatically on all of your Apple devices. There is so much there.

[@macmost]

Wait, you see your Photos tags in the Finder? Those are separate tag systems. I certainly don't see my Photos tags (Keywords) in the Finder. Maybe you are just using the Finder to tag those files?

[@BenSussmanpro]

@@macmost That’s right , I have to tag photos manually (which I do occasionally for updating my website with different pictures). Also, I’m aware of some of the features in the photos app but I don’t use icloud for syncing photos or use the edit features or do people searches. I originally switched from Windows 5 yrs ago so I’m used to a standard documents file structure, which works well for me. Thanks for your advice & I appreciate all your mac tips.

[@robertgleason2838]

@@macmost I think you’re right. I tagged the pics when I had windows, then when I got my Mac I imported into to photos. I away from my computer so I’ll compare tags to the pics in photos when return to confirm. Thanks.

[@iandwyer0203]

Can you share a tag via iCloud instead of sharing a folder? Obviously all the files in the tag would need to be stored in the iCloud Drive. You used the example of tags instead of folders for different clients, and it would be great to be able to share the files in that tag for the client to view.

[@macmost]

No.

[@iandwyer0203]

@@macmost thank you!

[@dr.abdelraoufalkady8582]

Can please let me know how to backup finder tags?

[@macmost]

Backup in what sense? They should be backed up in Time Machine along with the files.

[@aram5642]

Yikes, that's a bummer with those no-color tags not appearing in the Finder dir listings

[@rogerterry5013]

But how do you search for files which have more than one tag? Say I want to find the tags which have both red and yellow tags????

[@macmost]

Command+F, then Tags, Matches, Red. Then +. Then Tags, Matches, Orange. Save that as a Smart Folder if it is something you do a lot.

[@user-xf3ys8hg7i]

How can I sort tags in alphabetical order on the iPhone. Usually the most used are on top.

[@macmost]

I don't think you can. If you want to find a tag, you can search for it though.

[@Red_E_Read]

I am new to Apple Mac and have just started to explore Tags. I use an external drive and can Tag items on that drive, however when I search by Tag these items do not show up? Is there a setting somewhere I need to check, or is this a limitation? Thanks in advance.

[@macmost]

Perhaps that external drive is not formatted for Mac? If so, then Spotlight may not be able to index it properly.

[@Red_E_Read]

@@macmost thanks for the reply. I can read and write files to/from the Mac via the external drive, so I think that side of is ok.

[@macmost]

@@Red_E_Read Reading and writing doesn't use Spotlight. Spotlight is what indexes the drive for searches. If searching isn't working right, it is usually because there is no Spotlight index, or a limited one, and that could be because the drive is formatted for Windows instead of for Mac.

[@Red_E_Read]

@@macmost I will check, thanks

[@Red_E_Read]

Still struggling with searching tags on the external drive (Samsung T5). I’ve formatted based on another one of you videos and re-indexed. The files on the T5 are tagged with the same tagged copies on iCloud, but when I search by tag only iCloud results are returned?

[@btillier]

Create a smart folder to show all the tags across your system

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean. You can use Finder, Settings, Tags to see a list of all of your tags. Or, do you mean you want to see a list of all FILES that have a tag applied? Maybe a Smart Folder with Tags "is not" and then a new tag like "X" that is not used by any file.

[@phanindramandarapu9280]

How do I remove the 'Local' tag next to a document in Finder?

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean. Is that a tag you created? If so, you can remove any tag by getting info on the file, selecting the tag, and deleting it.

[@husamejle]

Does it shared with the shared folder?

[@macmost]

Try it and see.

[@princepz]

Not in my perception. If shared tags are possible, then this function hides from me very cleverly.