If you remember a document’s topic but not its filename, combine a type filter with a distinctive phrase. For example, kind:pdf "signed estimate" narrows the candidates; it does not prove which copy is current.

Refine the query

Press Command-Space and start with a project word. Add kind:pdf when the result list is broad, and use quotation marks around words that should appear together. Apple also documents entering a location such as iCloud Drive, pressing Tab, then searching for a filename there. For a recurring set of conditions, use Finder search and save it as a Smart Folder.

Check the candidate

Input: kind:pdf "signed estimate". Result: matching PDF candidates. Select a result and press Space for Quick Look. Press Command by itself to show the file path in Spotlight. To see the file in Finder, press Command-R or Command-double-click the result. Return opens the selected result; it is different from showing its path or seeing it in Finder. Compare the path and modified date to distinguish Projects/Current from a copy on an external backup drive. Search narrows candidates but does not establish approval or backup status.

If the file is missing

Check the likely folder directly in Finder. Excluded locations and items that have not been indexed may not appear. If a filter behaves differently on your macOS version, switch to Spotlight’s Files mode or Finder search. Save recurring conditions with Finder Smart Folders. Read Apple’s current filter guide and Glenn Fleishman’s comparison of Spotlight and Finder search. Apple’s Spotlight keyboard shortcuts distinguish Command to show a path, Return to open a result, and Command-R or Command-double-click to see a file in Finder.