sudo ./port install slocate Now that locate is installed it will be necessary to create the "slocate" group before creating the database or you will encounter an error like this: slocate: warning: Could not find the group: slocate in the /etc/group file. slocate: fatal error: This is a result of the group missing or a corrupted group file. It is possible to create a new group from the command line with dscl but it requires you to choose a group number. To be tidy and use the internally incrementing group number let's create the group by opening System Preferences &gt; Users & Groups. Click the lock to make changes. Click the + button under the user list. Select Group from the New dropdown. Type 'slocate' and click the "Create Group" button. Once the group has been created add your account to it by clicking the checkbox next to your avatar in the Membership list. Now we need to create the initial database: $ sudo slocate -u If you want your slocate database to update automatically add the contents of /opt/local/etc/daily.slocate to /etc/daily.local or /etc/weekly.local, excluding the line #!/bin/sh -- if one already exists. If you try to use slocate as a regular user (which has been added to the slocate group) in any currently open shells you will encounter the error message: