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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Spotlight never finds anything

Spotlight never finds anything
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kevs
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Mar 3, 2019, 03:44 PM
 
I'd say 50% time I use Spotlight, it finds nothing. This was supposed to be the revolutionary OS tool

I just moved an important folder called FINANCE to a new subfolder, a week ago, and spotlight, nothing.

I found it manually. There it is, unblocked, plain site, why cannot Apple get it's search right? Thanks.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 3, 2019, 09:53 PM
 
You have an indexing problem.
     
turtle777
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Mar 3, 2019, 11:01 PM
 
How to rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716

-t
     
kevs  (op)
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Mar 4, 2019, 01:38 AM
 
Andi, thanks, what do you know about this. I 've never heard the term before.

My finace folder is showing up. It seems after I found it, and used it is showing up. But when I wanted to find it, it was not showing up.

I did move it from it's long time place to a new folder las week. Boom, could not find it this week.

Of course that's exactly why I needed spotlight. I could not remember quickly the new folder I moved it to. I really needed Spotlight. It failed as it so often does. Spotlight just seems to be pathetic, yet tauted by Apple as revolutionary.

Easy find did not do any better.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Mar 4, 2019, 04:43 AM
 
You need to REBUILD YOUR SPOTLIGHT INDEX.

Follow the link provided above.
     
kevs  (op)
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Mar 4, 2019, 01:02 PM
 
S. So it rebuilds let's say, and then after that anything that is moved to a new folder is invisible until I MANUALLY do another rebuild?
     
Spheric Harlot
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Mar 4, 2019, 05:10 PM
 
No. If you rebuild the Spotlight index, it throws away the whole database and starts over.

Whatever happens from then on will be properly tracked, unless something goes wrong again, as it has now.
That’s rare, though.
     
kevs  (op)
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Mar 4, 2019, 06:26 PM
 
S, if I move a file or folder to a completely different are, 3 levels in, it shroud still find that?

It never does.
     
turtle777
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Mar 4, 2019, 06:45 PM
 
Your spotlight database is corrupted.

Nothing will work until the database is recreated.

Use the link above to do this.

Only then stuff will start showing up in searches again.

Can i be more clear ?

=t
     
The Evener
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Mar 4, 2019, 06:56 PM
 
Spotlight seems to misbehave for me as well. I'll try the index rebuild.

"Psssst..."
     
ghporter
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Mar 4, 2019, 09:13 PM
 
Kevs,

If the index is corrupt, it won't be able to find anything. Once it's rebuilt, any new searches will UPDATE the index, allowing it to keep track of where things are. This will essentially make Spotlight find things faster with each new search.

You will NOT have to rebuild every time you use Spotlight. But you MUST correct the corruption or you'll never get any useful results from Spotlight.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
badidea
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Mar 11, 2019, 10:53 AM
 
kevs, is it possible that the folder you don't find with spotlight is located on an external HD?
If yes, then make sure that you don't use any software that clears external disks from hidden macOS files because they often also delete the spotlight index on those disks!
If no, then just do what the others already suggested!
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