It's odd that everyone here is mentioning search as a counterpoint, when that's one of the least discoverable interfaces --- just like a command line, you need to at least know what something is called in order to use it. Contrast that with a menu, where you are immediately presented with all the options to choose from.

The menu bar search field searches the menus. When you highlight a search result, it even opens the corresponding menu and shows you the item!

Disclaimer: I worked on this feature.

Oh man, THANK YOU for this!

It was one of the biggest wow factors of macOS for me when I first started using it about 10 years ago, and it still keeps saving me a lot of time.

Thanks!!!

I know that feature! That is the one feature that makes users actually consult the help documentation.

(and I would love to see how that is done - how the menus and their contents, were implemented to make them searchable!)

Here's to 2 more billion upvotes :-)

I love love love this feature. You rock! Thank you. I’m lost on systems that don’t have this feature, and crap apps like Word that hide everything in the UI.

I’d give you a billion upvotes if I could :)

> you need to at least know what something is called in order to use it.

It lets you see if an app has a feature that you’re sure it must have, but don’t know exactly what it could be called or where it might be.

For example, in Xcode I just need to search “up” to see commands for moving a block up text up.

Or “blur” to see the different kinds of blur an image editor has.

> Contrast that with a menu

You misunderstood. It shows the menus which have items matching your search, in place.

https://i.imgur.com/6DieqF3.png

funny. tried an experiment on chrome while reading your comment. how would i find command+shift+t if i didn't know the shortcut from other browsers?

typed "undo close" on that search box. Nothing. clicked on the "tab" menu. still nothing. finally going back to the search box and typing "tab" it shows up as "reopen closed tab" and show me that it is in the "file" menu.

Weird application choices aside, Wonder why apple don't make that a central keyboard first command box like emacs or most code IDEs do. I mean, i don't even know how to go to that help search box without a mouse.

This is how I do this exercise. No mouse required:

1. `cmd - shift - /` to jump to Help (works in any app)

2. type `tab` ["Hmm, I don't know exact shortcut to <undo close tab>, so let me start with something generic..."]

3. search through results with ctrl-n or ctrl-p.

4. As you search, different menu items show you the shortcut

And voila, your `cmd - shift - t` is the second result under "reopen closed tab"

EDIT: formatting bullets