Mac Finder Search Not Working
If the Mac Finder search is not working, there are a few steps you can take to try and resolve the issue. You can try restarting the Finder, rebuilding the Spotlight index, or resetting the PRAM/NVRAM. If the problem persists, you may need to contact Apple support for further assistance.
Drag and drop the folders or disks that you would like to index back into the location list where Spotlight was prevented from searching. From the same location list, choose the folder or disk you just added. If you do not want to reindex your whole drive, choose folders to add rather than choosing Macintosh HD.
If you want to reindex Spotlights index to the whole Mac, drag Macintosh HD off of the Desktop and onto the Privacy tab. Follow Remove, by going into the Privacy tab to show all of the files, folders, and apps that are excluded from Spotlight indexing. In the Privacy menu, see whether a folder or list of files should be excluded, as Finder will search for files that are only indexed by Spotlight.
| Tips To Fix | |
| Boot | Safe boot your MacBook |
| Search Settings | Check the spotlight search settings |
| Rebuilding Indexing | Use terminal rebuilding indexing |
| Default Search | Change the default search in the search |
To make sure that your files are visible to the finder, you just have to revert your indexing to the spotlight. In this case, the spotlight usually needs to index any new files to make it possible to find them. During Spotlight indexing, Spotlight records files to the internal disk for you to search.
During the Spotlight indexing process, it is possible for your Mac to operate slowly, become warm, and for Finder app to also experience latency. Since the Spotlight search failure may be due to a system error too, you may want to restart your Mac into MacOS recovery mode and perform a first aid in Disk Utility to test for and fix an error on the Macintosh HD. When you are done running First Aid in Recovery Mode, you can reboot your Mac (in normal mode) to check whether the Spotlight issue still exists.
If rebooting your Mac does not change anything, you may want to open Spotlight Search in System Preferences to perform a few checks and fixes. If you encounter any issues with Finder Window on Mac, you can fix them easily by relaunching the Finder Window on Mac. If the Finder does not open when you try to run Finder, then understandably, you are disappointed.
The first way to bring Finder back is to quit Mac Finder hard, and then see if it starts up normally again. If the Finder unexpectedly quits every time you try to use the Finder, then restarting the computer is the first step. If you cannot get Finder to work, give your Mac a break and reboot.
If Finder does not launch again, despite trying each of the three methods, you are probably in possession of a damaged preferences file. You will need to work through Terminal commands to remove the Finder preferences file itself in order to repair this. Normally, you would use the Finders Finder tool to remove such files and restore preferences; however, since in this case, the user interface does not respond, you will need to fall back on the Terminal command prompt.
Accessing it will bring up a new dialog menu, in which you can select Finder > Relaunch. Hit to open the drop-down and use the arrow keys to move around in it until you get to Finder. Go to Advanced Options in the Finder preferences, and when executing a search, click on the drop-down menu for the.
If you’re interested in Delete Search History On Iphone, take a look at my other article
You can use the Advanced Search Option to look for files with certain containers, extensions, keywords, etc. In case if search options seem not to be working, you can click the minus symbol & remove sub-query. Simply hit the search icon in the upper right, enter any filename, and see whether it shows the message Indexing….
Then, you should make sure that Spotlight is configured to display the categories of search results that you would like. Both Spotlight and the Mac Finder have advanced search options that allow narrowing down results by various filters. Checking Spotlights search settings on Mac may help solve the issue with the Finder Search not working, since Finder uses the same search indexes as Spotlight Search.
Instead of searching for files and apps manually (which could also take time) on the Mac, you can use the tricks below and get Spotlight Search working instantly. Since the Finder Search tool works off of the same Search Index, rebuilding the Index for your Spotlight application may solve the problem with Finder Search not working properly on Mac. Apart from rebuilding indexing process using Terminal application, like mentioned earlier, user can use the GUI for rebuilding spotlight index.
If searching on the Mac does not yield expected results, then rebuilding the Spotlight index may be helpful. If Spotlight still does not work, try wiping and rebuilding the search index on your Mac using Terminal. Then use the arrow keys down or up to locate your selection Reindex by adding and removing your MacintoshHD (or whatever you call your main hard drive) in the Spotlight Search function privacy settings (Apple Menu > System Preferences > Spotlight) Uncheck the Bookmarks & History box in the Spotlight Search results (Apple Menu > System Preferences > Spotlight) If that does not help, try unchecking others in the Spotlight Search results as well Restart in Safe Mode and run Disk Check Create another admin or user account and test if Spotlight works (or does not) Do not use Spotlight Search.
If you’re interested in Apple Headphones Waterproof, take a look at my other article
Later, you may want to head into the Dock Menu, right-click on the Mac Finder icon, and select aDo not use Spotlight Search. Later, you may want to relaunch the Mac Finder. Once you have closed Finder window on your Mac, you can navigate to its dock icon and right-click it.
Second, quitting everything may help to resolve the issue if, instead of the Finder crashing the Mac, it is another background application that is making the MacBook stop loading Finder. If you like, you can get rid of any files or folders using Finder on your MacBook as well. If you are looking to save some time and get the best Mac finder experience, consider using its Preview Pane.
How do I know if my Mac is re indexing?
As part of OS X’s effort to help you, when you click the Spotlight symbol in the top right corner of the menu bar, you’ll see both a progress indicator and a textual estimate of the time left (“About two hours remaining”).
Is Spotlight the same as Finder on Mac?
In the Finder, Spotlight is available as a search box or by hitting Command-Option-space. In the menu bar, Spotlight is available as a Spotlight item or by pressing Command-space. Although the results from the two sorts of searches will differ, they will both produce a comparable collection of results.
How do I search everything in Finder on Mac?
Use the search area in the window’s corner to conduct a search from a Finder window. Click the magnifying glass in the menu bar or press Command-Space to search with Spotlight. You may use advanced searches to filter your search results in both Spotlight and Finder.