0.1.0New on Mac: Hyperdrive search

The fastest file manager for Mac.

Hyperdrive inside: the fastest search engine on macOS. Your other computers over Tailscale. Rich previews, tabs, two panes and powerful options. Free, for now.

Download for Mac Windows beta

Download the Windows beta Download for Mac

Download for Mac Windows beta

Free for personal and non-commercial use
macOS 13 or later
Apple silicon
11.8 MB
Notarized by Apple
No account

Free beta for personal and non-commercial use
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit
18.4 MB
Not signed yet: SmartScreen asks once

Fast Finder runs on a Mac or a Windows PC. Open this page there, or read the download notes.

The Fast Finder window on a Mac at rest. Home is open and lists 8 sample folders, with the empty Hyperdrive search box above the list. The sidebar shows Locations, Tools and Network, with Tailscale and two other computers. The animation then types lisbon, shows the search card with Files ticked and the first results, and ends on 13 matching files, the search time the app showed, and the cover of a Lisbon travel guide PDF in the details sidebar.

Sample files. The time next to the search box is the time the app showed for this search. It is an example, not a benchmark.

01Hyperdrive

The fastest search engine on macOS.

6.5 million files, searched in under half a millisecond.

0.48ms

To search 6.5 million files.

6,508,588

Files in the index. Results as you type.

p95 engine time, Mac Studio with M2 Max, 19 October 2026. Mac only. How we measured

The app, estimated for a Mac with M5

0.19s

From launch to a window on screen.

0.23s

To open a folder that holds 50,000 files.

0.15%

CPU while it sits idle. About 0.09 s per minute.

Scaled from measurements on a Mac Studio with M2 Max using Geekbench 6 ratios. How we estimate

Bars use a scale of 1 second, or 100% for CPU. We did not time Finder.

All measured numbers

Measured with a 0.1.0 Mac build on a Mac Studio, Apple M2 Max, 32 GB, macOS 27.0.1, while other builds ran on the same machine. These are the measured numbers, not estimates. Search rows are for the Classic engine.

#	Measure	Result
1	Launch to window on screen	0.29 s
2	Launch to first folder listing	0.36 s
3	Open a 50,000-file folder	0.36 s
4	Scroll frame, details view, 50,000 items	6 to 9 ms
5	Search through the app, 2,000 hits, full speed mode (Classic)	37 to 55 ms
6	Search through the app, Throttled mode (the Classic default)	0.08 to 0.21 s
7	First search after launch (Classic)	4.1 s
8	First index of the disk, 5.9 million entries, full mode (Classic)	47 s
9	First index of the disk, Throttled mode (Classic)	about 2 min
10	Copy one 2 GB file, same volume (APFS clone)	0.1 ms
11	Copy one 2 GB file, other volume	2.3 to 2.6 s
12	Copy a folder of 20,000 files, same volume	2.7 s
13	Copy a folder of 20,000 files, other volume	8.4 to 9.4 s
14	Idle CPU	0.0 to 0.2%
15	Quit	15 to 18 ms

#	Hyperdrive search, 6,508,588 files	p95
1	Files filter, 50 results	0.48 ms

Engine times on a Mac Studio with M2 Max, not times through the app window.

How we estimate

Each estimate above is a measurement on the M2 Max, multiplied by how much faster the M5 is on the kind of work that limits it. We use Geekbench 6 averages: single-core 2,719 for the M2 Max and 4,252 for the M5 (ratio 0.64), multi-core 14,777 and 17,606 (ratio 0.84). We round every result up, toward slower.

#	Measure	What limits it	M2 Max, measured	M5, estimate
1	Launch to window on screen	One CPU core (app start, window setup)	0.29 s	0.19 s
2	Open a 50,000-file folder	One CPU core (file system calls)	0.36 s	0.23 s
3	Search (Classic), 2,000 hits, full speed mode	Search helper on all cores (4 to 5 ms), the rest on one core	37 to 55 ms	25 to 37 ms
4	Search (Classic), Throttled mode (the default)	Efficiency cores; we use the smaller multi-core ratio	0.08 to 0.21 s	0.07 to 0.18 s
5	Idle CPU	One CPU core (timers)	0.2%	0.15%

Sources: Geekbench 6 averages from EveryMac for the Mac Studio with M2 Max and the MacBook Pro with M5. The M5 has a smaller GPU than the M2 Max, but drawing a file list uses little of it. These are estimates, not measurements, and not guarantees for your Mac.

How we measured Hyperdrive

We measured the compiled Hyperdrive engine on 19 October 2026, on a Mac Studio with M2 Max and 32 GB RAM. The test index held 6,508,588 files, 538,374 folders, 8,798 links and 1,718 other entries: 7,057,478 entries in total, with generated test folders. It did not include the account Library and one disk mounted inside the home folder. Each row is one file name query with one filter: 100 accepted samples after 10 warmups. The time is inside the engine. It does not include the app window or the screen. The test asked for pages of 50 results. Fast Finder asks for up to 2,000 results, so a broad search in the app can take longer. Times depend on the query, the filters, the number of results, the files and the Mac. These are not guarantees for your Mac.

02Search

Results while you type.

Click the search box, or press ⌘ F, and type a few letters. The first results show while you type. On a Mac, the Hyperdrive engine searches the names of files and folders in your home folder. The Classic engine searches the whole Mac and inside files. Classic also answers while Hyperdrive builds its first index. Both run on your Mac.

The Fast Finder search card with invoice typed and Files ticked. The card says Enter searches your home folder. The first results list the invoice PDFs and where they are.

Real screenshots of the search card, with sample files. In these screenshots, Hyperdrive answered invoice and resume. Searches with two words, such as tax 2025, go to Classic.

Two engines, one box

On Mac, Hyperdrive answers name searches in your home folder. Classic answers the rest. Choose the engine in Settings, then Search.

Filters when you need them

Filters for type, size and date are there when you need them, in the search options. Save up to 100 searches.

Stays on your Mac

The index lives in a private folder on your Mac. The search helper opens no network connection, and it never downloads online-only cloud files.

03Tailscale

Your other computers, in the sidebar.

If you use Tailscale, your other Macs and PCs show up under Network. Open them, search them, and copy files between them like any local folder.

1Make this machine visible on TailscaleStarts a small agent at login. No admin password.

2Let this machine browse my other machinesYour machines appear under Network in the sidebar.

A delete on another computer is permanent. An allowed login can read, change and delete anything there.

How it works and the security model

Tailnet only

The agent listens on the computer's Tailscale address, never on all addresses. It does not start without one.

Checked on every request

Each request is checked with tailscale whois. By default only your own login gets in. Tagged devices are refused.

Low use when idle

About 15 MB of memory and 0.0% CPU while it waits. No timers.

04Peek

Look inside before you open.

Select a file and the details sidebar shows what is in it: rendered Markdown, tables, JSON, code with line numbers, the first page of a PDF, and photos with their camera data. Press Space for Quick Look.

No app launch. The preview sits next to the list, so you can arrow through files.
Safe HTML. HTML files render offline, with JavaScript off.
Cloud aware. Online-only files are never downloaded for a preview.

Markdown: the README of a sample project rendered in the details sidebar, with headings, a code block and a table.

Real screenshots with sample files.

05Features

Common file tools, built in.

Cleanup, undo for file work, cloud folders, tabs, and a few things most file managers leave out.

⇧⌘K

Cleanup

Finds big files, big folders and duplicates on this Mac, and tells you how much space you can free. Undo works here too.

⌘Z

Undo for file work

Copy, move, rename and trash can be undone. Name clashes ask: Replace, Skip or Keep both.

Cloud folders

Folders for OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox and Box appear when they exist on your Mac, with marks for online-only files. Search also finds files in your OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox folders. Opening an online-only file asks first, and search never downloads one.

⌘K

Network shares

SMB, NFS and AFP shares with Eject. Passwords stay in macOS.

⇧⌘T

Tabs restore

Your tabs return when you open the app again. Reopen a closed tab with one shortcut.

Tags and Trash

Finder tags as colored dots, a column and a sidebar list. The Trash view shows where each item came from, with Put Back.

Archives open like folders

zip, tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2, tar.xz and 7z open read-only. Extract here or to a folder. Hardened against path traversal, links and zip bombs. There is no Compress item.

F2

Bulk rename

Rename one file, or a whole selection in one step.

⌘1to5

Five views

Details, List, Small icons, Icons and Large icons. Columns resize and sort. Numbers sort as numbers.

⌘\

Two panes

Work in two folders side by side. F5 copies to the other pane, F6 moves.

Git status

Branch, ahead and behind, and a badge on each changed file in any repository folder.

⌥⌘T

Terminal and editor

Open Terminal or your editor in the current folder, or run a command there and see the output.

Fast Finder with three tabs and two panes side by side: icons on the left, a Details list on the right. — Two panes, three tabs. Icons on the left, Details on the right.

06Privacy

Your files, names, paths and search words are not sent to us. They leave your computer only when you browse, search, open or copy files on another computer: your other computers over Tailscale, or a server you type in. Anonymous usage counts can be turned off with one switch. Crash reports are sent only when you press Send.

Stays on your computer

Your files and their contents
File names, folder names and paths
Search words and the search index
Machine names and account names

No account needed

No sign-in for anything local
No automatic update checks
The first launch shows the Privacy page
DO_NOT_TRACK=1 also turns usage counts off

Read exactly what is sent and when

07Keyboard

A shortcut for every common action.

Arrow keys, Home, End and Page keys move and extend the selection. On Windows, ⌘ is Ctrl, and Space opens the Details sidebar.

Search⌘F

Quick LookSpace

Two panes⌘\

Switch paneTab

Copy to other paneF5

Move to other paneF6

Go to folder⇧⌘G

RenameF2

More shortcuts

Address bar⌘L

Back, Forward⌘[]

Up a folder⌘↑

New folder⇧⌘N

Details pane⇧⌘P

Get Info⌘I

Copy path⌥⌘C

Duplicate⌘D

Hidden files⇧⌘.

Light or dark⇧⌘L

Show tree⌘B

Run command⌥⌘R

08Customize

Make the right‑click menu yours.

The context menu is a JSON file. Add your own commands with {path}, {paths}, {name} and {dir}, limit them to some file types, and ask before they run. If the file is invalid, Fast Finder uses the defaults and shows an error.

menu.json

1{
2  "label": "Shrink images",
3  "command": "sips -Z 2000 {paths}",
4  "when": "selection",
5  "ext": ["png", "jpg", "heic"],
6  "confirm": true
7}

09Windows

Windows, in beta.

Fast Finder for Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, tested on Windows 11. The Hyperdrive search engine is Mac only. Some Mac features are not there yet.

Download the Windows beta What to expect

Free for personal and non-commercial use
18.4 MB
Not signed yet
No Hyperdrive

Works

Tabs, the folder tree and all five views
Copy, move, rename, Recycle Bin
Search by name (no disk index yet)
Browse your Macs over Tailscale
Dark and light themes

Not yet

Search index and text search
The Hyperdrive search engine (Mac only)
Quick Look and image previews
Tags and the Trash view
Cloud marks
Code signing

10FAQ

Common questions.

Free today

Fast Finder is free. Premium features will come later. Pricing

Is Fast Finder free?

Yes. Fast Finder is free to download and use for personal and non-commercial use. Premium features will come later.

Does Fast Finder replace Finder?

Fast Finder is a separate app. It does not change or remove Finder. Keep it in the Dock and use it for daily file work; Finder stays where it is. How it differs from Finder.

Which Macs does it run on?

Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 13 or later. There is no Intel build.

Is there a Windows version?

Yes, a beta for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). It is not signed yet, so SmartScreen can warn you. The Hyperdrive search engine is Mac only. Quick Look, tags, the search index, the Trash view and cloud marks are not in the Windows beta. Read about the beta.

Do my files leave my computer?

Not to us. Your files, names, paths and search words are not sent to us. They go to another computer only when you browse, search, open or copy files there: your other computers over Tailscale, or a server you type in. Anonymous usage counts can be turned off with one switch. Crash reports are sent only when you press Send. Full privacy notes.

How does browsing over Tailscale work?

Install Fast Finder and Tailscale on each computer, signed in to the same Tailscale account, and turn on two switches. A small agent listens only on the computer's Tailscale address and checks every request with tailscale whois. By default only your own login gets in. Setup and security model.

How fast is search?

On a Mac, search uses Hyperdrive by default: the fastest search engine on macOS. On an index of 6,508,588 files, a Hyperdrive search with the Files filter took 0.48 ms (p95, 50 results). We timed the search engine on a Mac Studio with M2 Max, not the app window. Hyperdrive skips ~/Library. Classic answers Whole Mac, several words, Size and Modified filters, and Search inside files. It also answers while Hyperdrive builds its first index. The Windows beta has no Hyperdrive. Numbers for the Classic engine are in the Speed section.

What is Hyperdrive?

Hyperdrive is the default search engine in Fast Finder for Mac. It indexes the names of files and folders in your home folder. It never reads file contents and never uses the network. It leaves out ~/Library and other disks mounted inside your home folder. Search results never show hidden items (names that start with a dot), node_modules, or the insides of apps, frameworks and bundles. Classic answers Whole Mac searches, searches with several words or with patterns, Type, Size and Modified filters, Search inside files, and folders outside your home folder. It also answers while Hyperdrive builds its first index, whenever Hyperdrive is not ready or cannot vouch for a folder, and for cloud folders, whose matches it adds to Home searches. To change the engine, open Settings, then Search, then Search engine. The Windows beta has no Hyperdrive.

Is Fast Finder an Electron app?

No. Fast Finder is written in Rust and draws its interface on the GPU with gpui, the UI framework from Zed. The main window uses no Electron and no web view. Only the offline HTML preview uses the system web view, with JavaScript off.

Does Fast Finder update itself?

Yes, on a Mac. On a Mac, from build 5586, Fast Finder updates itself. While the switches "Check for updates automatically" and "Install updates automatically" are on, it checks at start and once a day, downloads a new version from fastfinder.dev, checks Apple's signature and notarization, and installs it when you quit. "Restart to update" installs it at once. With the install switch off, it only shows a Download button. The Windows beta checks the same way and shows a Download button; you install the new version yourself. New builds are listed in the changelog.

Is it ready for daily use?

Version 0.1.0 is an early release. 656 unit tests pass, and file work has undo. Delete moves items to the Trash by default; permanent delete has its own shortcut and is labeled. Back up a folder before you try a bulk rename on it.