I have been using Macs since OS 9 and I have always found the Finder lacking in many areas, especially when it comes to something as simple as you'd like to do.

Simply put, there is now way of finding what you would like. You can use Pathfinder (a bit bloated) or Forklift (a bit simple) to in the way you'd like.

One of the beauties of the Mac is the quality third-party software you can get. I recommend Alfred. It's an incredibly launcher and finder of things and once you get the hang of it, it's golden for these types of tasks.

Here is a sample of me finding a PDF in a folder with thousands of files and opening then moving it to the trash:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuYDDdfI2CCi3p5xXBdDy3-DjJHsyQ

Here is a link to Alfred:

https://www.alfredapp.com

I have been using Macs since OS 9 and I have always found the Finder lacking in many areas, especially when it comes to something as simple as you'd like to do.

Simply put, there is now way of finding what you would like. You can use Pathfinder (a bit bloated) or Forklift (a bit simple) to in the way you'd like.

One of the beauties of the Mac is the quality third-party software you can get. I recommend Alfred. It's an incredibly launcher and finder of things and once you get the hang of it, it's golden for these types of tasks.

Here is a sample of me finding a PDF in a folder with thousands of files and opening then moving it to the trash.