--- title: "Search Apps, Files and Agent Sessions From Your Mac Dock" url: https://moorapp.com/blog/mac-dock-search-apps-and-files publisher: Moor by Bayou Applications LLC (https://moorapp.com/) published: 2026-10-20 updated: 2026-10-20 --- # Search Apps, Files and Agent Sessions From Your Mac Dock In Moor, press Control-Option-F (or choose Search… in Moor's menu bar) and start typing. One field finds everything in your docks, the files inside your docked folders (newest first), installed and running apps, your coding agents' sessions by project, your profiles and Moor's own actions. Use the arrow keys to choose, Return to open and Command-Return to show the item in Finder. Control-Option-F is Moor's own default shortcut, and you can change it. ## Why one search field beats three Here's a common loop. You open Spotlight to launch an app, Finder to dig a download out of a folder, then Terminal or your editor to find the window where Claude Code is waiting on you. Each tool is fine on its own. Switching between all three is the slow part. Apple's Dock has its own way to keep folders close. In macOS, [regular folders can only live on the right side of the Dock, as Stacks](https://appish.app/blog/how-to-make-folders-in-mac-dock). In Moor, a folder you add to a dock also becomes a stack, opening as a fan, grid or list (see [Docks](/docs/docks/)), and search can reach the files inside it by typing part of a name. Keyboard access to Apple's Dock is focus based: the default [Move focus to the Dock shortcut is Control-F3, or fn-Control-F3 if your function keys are set to standard behavior](https://macmost.com/using-the-mac-dock-with-only-your-keyboard.html). Moor's search works differently. It puts your docks, the files in them, your apps, your coding agents and your Dock setups in one field. If your day mixes launching apps, grabbing recent files and checking on agents, one shortcut can do all of it. ## What Control-Option-F finds The [Search documentation](/docs/search/) lists everything it covers: | You type part of... | Search finds | What you can do | |---|---|---| | A docked app, folder, file or link | Everything in your docks | Return opens it | | A recent file | Files inside the folders in your docks, newest first | Return opens it, Command-Return shows it in Finder | | Any app name | Installed apps and apps that are running | Return opens it | | A project name | Your coding agents' sessions, by project | Find the session without hunting through windows | | A profile name | Your profiles | Pick one to switch to it | | An action | Edit Docks, Zone Mode, Hide Revenue Figures, Moor Settings, Setup Guide | Run it | The file search matters most if you keep Downloads in a dock. Because files in docked folders are listed newest first, your latest downloads are a few letters away. Agent sessions come from the same local files the Agents widget reads. Moor reads what Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI and Aider keep on your Mac. According to the [Agents documentation](/docs/agents/), it only reads them, and nothing is sent anywhere. ## How to search, step by step 1. Make sure Moor is running. Its icon in the menu bar is a small boat. 2. Press Control-Option-F from any app, or click the Moor icon and choose **Search…**. 3. Start typing: an app name, part of a file name, a project name or a profile name. 4. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to choose a result. 5. Press Return to open it, or Command-Return to show it in Finder. 6. Press Esc to close search without doing anything. These are the keys inside search: | Key | Does | |---|---| | Up / Down arrow | Choose a result | | Return | Open it | | Command-Return | Show it in Finder | | Esc | Close | To pick a different shortcut, open **Settings → Shortcuts**, click the Search shortcut and press the new keys. The [keyboard shortcuts page](/docs/shortcuts/) lists every default. Control-Option-F is Moor's default, and other apps can use the same keys. For example, [Find Any File can be set to open with Control-Option-F through its Hot Key setting](https://findanyfile.app/manual.html). If you use both, give one of them a different shortcut. ## Tips and tricks ### Open search from anywhere, not just the keyboard Search is also the link `moor://search`, so anything that can open a URL can open it. From Terminal, run `open "moor://search"`. If you've installed Moor's command-line tool (**Settings → Advanced → Install Command-Line Tool…**), `moor search` does the same thing. The Alfred workflow understands `moor search`, and the Stream Deck plugin has a **Search** action you can put on a key. See [Automation](/docs/automation/) for setup. ### For developers: find the agent, not the terminal tab If you run several coding agents across projects, type the project name rather than cycling through terminal windows. Pair search with the **Agents** widget (Control-Option-E, then **Add**). The widget shows which sessions are working or need you, and clicking a session jumps to it. Search is the quicker route when you already know which project you want. Moor's own guide, [Monitor AI coding agents from the Dock](/blog/monitor-ai-coding-agents-mac-dock), covers the widget in detail. Jumping to the right window needs the Accessibility permission. Turn it on in **Settings → Permissions** if you skipped it during setup. ### Switch your whole Dock by name With more than nine profiles, the Control-Option-1 to 9 shortcuts run out. Search doesn't: type "pres" and press Return to switch to Presenting. The profile picker (Control-Option-Space) is the other option when you only want profiles in the list. ### Run Moor's own actions without the menu Typing "zone" or "hide" gets you to Zone Mode or Hide Revenue Figures without reaching for the menu bar. That's handy right before a screen share. ### Put Downloads in a dock Add your Downloads folder to a dock (Control-Option-E, then drag it in from Finder). Search then includes its files, newest first. ## Limits and troubleshooting **It isn't a whole-disk search.** Moor searches files inside the folders in your docks, not every file on your Mac. For documents buried elsewhere, Spotlight or a dedicated file finder is still the right tool. Think of Moor's search as covering what you've chosen to keep close. **It finds sessions, not what's inside them.** Search finds agent sessions by project name. If you need to search the text of old agent conversations, that's a different job. For example, [Agent Sessions](https://jazzyalex.github.io/agent-sessions/) is an open-source Mac app that searches local conversations from Codex, Claude Code, Cursor and 13 other agents, and its [Command-F search covers the full text of all messages](https://www.corpusiq.io/docs/hermes/skills/catalog/agent-sessions-setup). **Some agents show less status.** What each agent reports depends on its own files. Windsurf's conversations are encrypted, for example, so Moor can see only when Windsurf was last active. The [Agents documentation](/docs/agents/) has a table showing what each agent reports. **Nothing happens when you press the shortcut.** Check that Moor is running. On a MacBook with a camera notch, its menu bar icon can hide behind the notch. Opening Moor from Spotlight brings up its Settings. If another app also uses Control-Option-F, change one of the two shortcuts. ## Next steps - Press Control-Option-F and type the name of a project you're working on. - Add your Downloads folder to a dock so your newest files show up in search. - If Control-Option-F is awkward for your hands, set a different search shortcut in **Settings → Shortcuts**. Moor has a free 14-day trial at [moorapp.com](https://moorapp.com/). ## Common questions ### Can Moor's search find any file on my Mac like Spotlight? No. Moor's search covers everything in your docks and the files inside the folders in your docks, sorted newest first, along with installed and running apps, agent sessions, profiles and Moor's own actions. For a file stored somewhere you haven't docked, use Spotlight or a dedicated file search tool. Docking Downloads or a projects folder makes those files searchable. ### Which coding agents can I find with Moor's search? Moor follows Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI and Aider by reading the files each one keeps on your Mac, and search finds their sessions by project name. Moor only reads those files and sends nothing anywhere. How much status each session shows depends on the agent. Windsurf, for example, only shows when it was last active. ### Does Moor's search need any permissions? Searching itself needs no special setup. To jump to the right window for an agent session, Moor needs the Accessibility permission, which it asks for during setup if you choose Moor's dock. You can turn it on later in Settings → Permissions, then allow Moor in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. ### Can I open Moor's search without the keyboard shortcut? Yes. Choose Search… from Moor's menu bar icon, open the link moor://search from Terminal, a browser or any app, or run moor search once the command-line tool is installed from Settings → Advanced. The Alfred workflow understands moor search, and the Stream Deck plugin has a Search action you can assign to a key. ### What if another app already uses Control-Option-F? Control-Option-F is Moor's default shortcut for its search, and other apps can use the same keys. Find Any File, for example, can be set to open with Control-Option-F through its Hot Key setting. If two apps want it, change Moor's search shortcut in Settings → Shortcuts by clicking it and pressing new keys, or change the other app's shortcut. ## Sources 1. [How to Make Folders in the Mac Dock (App Groups That Actually Work) - Appish](https://appish.app/blog/how-to-make-folders-in-mac-dock) 2. [Using the Mac Dock With Only Your Keyboard - MacMost](https://macmost.com/using-the-mac-dock-with-only-your-keyboard.html) 3. [Find Any File - Manual](https://findanyfile.app/manual.html) 4. [Agent Sessions for macOS](https://jazzyalex.github.io/agent-sessions/) 5. [agent-sessions - macOS Agent Session Browser Setup](https://www.corpusiq.io/docs/hermes/skills/catalog/agent-sessions-setup) 6. [Monitor AI coding agents on your Mac from the Dock with Moor](https://moorapp.com/blog/monitor-ai-coding-agents-mac-dock) 7. [Moor](https://moorapp.com/)