Dev Hack: How to Stop TypeScript (.ts) Files From Ruining Your macOS Smart Folders

If you are a web developer who also happens to keep a movie collection or video assets on your Mac, you’ve probably run into a deeply frustrating macOS quirk.

You decide to set up a Finder Smart Folder to track your recent video files or movies. You set the criteria to Kind is Movie, look at the results, and instead of a clean list of MP4s and MKVs, your folder is absolutely flooded with thousands of .ts files from your local development projects.

Here’s why this happens and how to permanently banish TypeScript files from your media filters without breaking Finder’s search scope.

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The Problem: macOS Thinks You’re an MPEG-2 Enthusiast

By default, macOS recognizes the .ts file extension as an MPEG-2 Transport Stream—a video container format used for broadcast streaming and DVDs.

Finder has absolutely no idea that you are a modern JavaScript developer building applications. It just sees thousands of .ts source files in your node_modules or project directories and proudly flags them as "Movies."

If you try to fix this by typing -extension:ts directly into the Finder search bar, it often resets the search scope, causing your Smart Folder to completely break and return zero results.

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The Fix: Using Advanced "Raw Query" Rows

To filter out TypeScript code without breaking your global search scope, you need to use Finder's hidden advanced boolean logic. Here is how to set it up step-by-step:

1. Set Up Your Base Media Filters

Open Finder, press Cmd + Option + N to create a new Smart Folder, and set up your initial include parameters using the standard + button. For example:

• Kind is Movie
• Last opened date is within the last 365 days

2. Reveal the Hidden Boolean Menu

Do not touch the search bar. Instead, hold down the Option (⌥) key on your keyboard. You will notice that the + buttons on the right side of your rules instantly transform into ... (Ellipsis) icons.

Click the ... button on your bottom row. This spawns a nested sub-rule block.

3. Target the .ts Extension Exclusively

Configure your new nested rule block to strictly target and exclude the file extension:

1. Change the main dropdown of this nested block from Any or All to None.
2. Click the first dropdown in the sub-row underneath it and select Other...
3. Search for "File extension", check the box next to it to enable it, and click OK.
4. Set the row to: File extension | is | ts

Your smart folder rules should now look exactly like this:

(Note: Replace with your screenshot if publishing!)

[Kind] is [Movie]
[Last opened date] is within last [365] [days]
└── [None] of the following are true:
    └── [File extension] is [ts]

4. Save and Forget

Click the Save button in the upper right corner, name your folder (e.g., "Recent Movies"), and keep "Add to Sidebar" checked.

Finder will now perfectly index your entire drive for actual video files while completely ignoring your development workspace. No more digging through a sea of TypeScript components just to find a video file.