Spotlight Search is one of the best additions to macOS. Press the Command + Space keys and you’re all set to find apps, files, media and more on your Mac. Spotlight search not working or opening on Mac can cause inconvenience. Here’s how you can fix Spotlight search not working on Mac.
Instead of manually searching for files and apps (which can also be time-consuming) on Mac, you can use the tricks below and get Spotlight Search up and running in no time.
1. Restart your Mac
Most users don’t shut down Mac frequently. We mostly keep Mac in standby to be ready to use in a second.
We recommend restarting your Mac for smooth functions. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select Restart.
After restarting your Mac, authenticate and try using Spotlight Search.
2. Check Spotlight Keyboard Shortcuts
You need to make sure you’re pressing the correct keys to launch Spotlight Search on Mac.
Step 1: Click on the little Apple icon in the menu bar in the upper left corner.
2nd step: Select System Preferences.
Step 3: Go to the Keyboard menu.
Step 4: Scroll to the Shortcuts menu.
Step 5: Select Spotlight from the left sidebar.
Step 6: Enable the Show Spotlight search option.
3. Restart Spotlight services
You can force quit the Spotlight service on Mac and restart it. That’s how.
Step 1: Press Cmd + Space, type Activity Monitor and press Enter.
2nd step: Click on the search bar and type projector.
Step 3: Select Spotlight and tap the “x” (cross) sign at the top.
Repeat the same for CoreSpotlightSearch after pressing Cmd + Space.
4. Select Categories to search for Spotlight
Spotlight lets you search all folders on Mac. If you’ve disabled a specific category in Spotlight, the service won’t be able to search that category. Follow the steps below to enable relevant categories for Spotlight.
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Step 1: Click the Apple menu in the upper left corner and select the System Preferences menu.
2nd step: Click the Spotlight window in System Preferences.
Step 3: On the Search Results tab, enable all categories and close the application.
Step 4: If you have excluded a specific folder on Mac, you need to delete it. Go to the Privacy tab.
Step 5: Select the folder and tap the ‘-‘ (minus) icon at the bottom.
We previously excluded the Downloads folder from Spotlight search and kept misunderstanding that Spotlight didn’t search for Downloads.
Launch Spotlight Search and check if it can search apps and files on Mac.
5. Fix disk errors
If your Mac drive has problems or errors, Spotlight will have trouble finding files on it. You can use the default Disk Utility tool and fix these errors.
Step 1: Open Disk Utility from the Launchpad menu.
2nd step: Select the First Aid icon above and run the disk repair tool.
6. Reindex Spotlight Search
There is no direct way to reindex Spotlight Search on Mac. We will exclude Macintosh HD from Spotlight Search and remove the rule. That’s how.
Step 1: Click the Apple menu in the upper left corner and select System Preferences.
2nd step: Go to Reflector.
Step 3: Select Privacy.
Step 4: Select the + icon at the bottom and select your Mac from the sidebar.
Step 5: Select Macintosh HD and click Choose.
After you tell Spotlight not to search Macintosh HD, click it and select the minus (-) button.
Restart your Mac and Spotlight Search should start working as expected.
7. Delete dummy files on Mac
Corrupt and bogus files on your Mac can interfere with Spotlight’s search features. You can remove these files manually or use a third-party tool called CleanMyMac X to do the job.
Step 1: Get CleanMyMac X on your Mac. It costs $29 as a one-time purchase.
2nd step: Open the software and select the Scan button.
The application will start scanning your Mac for irrelevant files and ask you to delete them in one click.
8. Turn the Spotlight index back on
You have the option to re-enable the Spotlight index from the Terminal. Let’s use it and fix Spotlight search not working on Mac.
Related : Why are Apple’s butterfly keyboards so bad?
Step 1: From Launchpad, open Terminal.
2nd step: Run the following command and press Enter to authenticate.
sudo mdutil -Ea
Step 3: Run a few commands to disable and enable Spotlight Index.
sudo mdutil -ai disabled
sudo mdutil -ai active
Close the terminal and start using Spotlight Search.
9. Update macOS
Spotlight Search may not work with faulty macOS software on your Mac. Apple is quickly addressing these issues with timely updates.
From the System Preferences menu, select Software Update. Install the latest macOS and try your luck with Spotlight.
10. Check the spacebar on your Mac
This solution is especially relevant for MacBook users with a butterfly keyboard. Apple has announced a free keyboard replacement program for MacBooks dated 2016. If you’re one of the unlucky people with butterfly MacBook keys, the spacebar may not always work. Sometimes it can record a double space. This could prevent Spotlight search from working on Mac. If you’re having this problem, read our guide on how to fix the spacebar on Mac.
Search like a pro on Mac
Spotlight enhances your Mac experience. We use it all the time to switch between apps on Mac. Spotlight is a central part of macOS, and functionality that doesn’t work can leave you frustrated. What trick helped you solve the problem? Share your findings in the comments below.