Fixing Mac Search Function

If the search function (Spotlight) is not working on a Mac, follow these simple steps in order. These steps fix the most common causes of search problems.

Step 1: Restart Spotlight Indexing

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Siri & Spotlight
3. Click Spotlight Privacy
4. Click the + button and add Macintosh HD
5. Close the window
6. Reopen Spotlight Privacy
7. Remove Macintosh HD from the list

This forces Spotlight to rebuild its search index. Indexing may take some time.

Step 2: Check Spotlight Settings

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Siri & Spotlight
3. Make sure all search categories are turned on (Applications, Documents, Finder, System Settings, etc.)

If options are greyed out, the Mac may be managed by an organization.

Step 3: Restart Spotlight Services

1. Open Terminal
2. Enter the following commands:

sudo mdutil -a -i on
sudo killall mds
sudo killall mds_stores

These commands restart Spotlight’s background services.

Step 4: Check the Spotlight Keyboard Shortcut

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts
3. Select Spotlight
4. Make sure 'Show Spotlight Search' is enabled
5. Confirm the shortcut is set to Command + Space

Step 5: Test Search

1. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight
2. Try searching for an application or file
3. Open Finder and test the search bar in the top-right corner

If search still does not work, further troubleshooting may be required.