mattMDG

Q: How can I search files on my WD My Passport external hard drive using spotlight?

Hi,

 

I have bought my first ever apple product, a MBP Retina and opened it and updated it to the El Capitan 10.11.6 a few hours ago.

 

I need it exclusively for music (traktor and ableton) and searching songs and samples is essential.

 

First slap in my face was when I read about drop outs and issues with traktor and every update after 10.5 Yosemite and I might have to downgrade to it although I have no idea how.

 

Second slap in the face, and the issue I'm seeking help for, was when I started using spotlight to find songs from my WD My Passport external hard drive, only to find out that index method (privacy etc.) doesn't work and there may be no solution for this issue.

 

Is there anything that I can do to fix this permanently? Any other search tool I can use instead of spotlight that will do the work?

 

I was really excited about this purchase but I am having second thoughts now and I'm starting thinking I've spent a fortune for nothing.

 

Please, if you have any suggestions, explain in detail because I am not familiar with Apple's OS.

 

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Posted on Aug 8, 2016 9:56 AM

Close

Q: How can I search files on my WD My Passport external hard drive using spotlight?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next
  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 8, 2016 10:03 AM in response to mattMDG
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 8, 2016 10:03 AM in response to mattMDG

    FWIW, Spotlight certainly can index external drives.

    Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

    You could use EasyFind from the App Store as an alternative search tool.

  • by Rysz,

    Rysz Rysz Aug 8, 2016 10:14 AM in response to mattMDG
    Level 7 (20,242 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 8, 2016 10:14 AM in response to mattMDG

    Not clear what issue with Spotlight vs. Privacy you're experiencing. Please explain.

     

    What's excluded from Spotlight is entirely under your control in System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy > remove all items from the list and everything will be indexed.

     

    To test, open any Finder folder, enter a search term, click on the This Mac option, only then hit Enter key to search.

     

    Mac Basics guide by Apple:

    https://www.apple.com/support/macbasics/

  • by mattMDG,

    mattMDG mattMDG Aug 8, 2016 12:10 PM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 12:10 PM in response to dialabrain

    Done this process but nothing. I have been trying this for several hours. It's worked with a flash drive but not with the WD passport.

     

    No luck with Easyfind either.

  • by mattMDG,

    mattMDG mattMDG Aug 8, 2016 12:19 PM in response to Rysz
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 12:19 PM in response to Rysz

    I just want to be able to search the WD passport hard drive. I follow the process according to which the files should be indexed but no luck.

     

    I've tested a flash drive and works like a charm but nothing with the WD external hard drive.

    What's excluded from Spotlight is entirely under your control in System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy > remove all items from the list and everything will be indexed.

     

    This above process got me nowhere with the WD passport. Nothing in Finder folder either. No matter what, the macbook cannot see the WD, although it works perfectly on Windows 10.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 8, 2016 12:23 PM in response to mattMDG
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 8, 2016 12:23 PM in response to mattMDG

    You never said your MacBook couldn't see the drive. You said you couldn't search it using Spotlight or EasyFind. Of course a search won't work on a drive that isn't mounted.

  • by mattMDG,

    mattMDG mattMDG Aug 8, 2016 12:44 PM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 12:44 PM in response to dialabrain

    No no sorry I didn't clarify it properly.

     

    I can see and browse the WD Passport but no matter what I've tried, there's no way I can use a search tool (spotlight/Finder search) to actually search any files. Meaning I can use any file I want but if I search for one, I get no results because the WD is not indexed even after following all the steps needed.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 8, 2016 12:52 PM in response to mattMDG
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 8, 2016 12:52 PM in response to mattMDG

    I don't know what to tell you. One of the benefits of using EasyFind is the drive does not have to be indexed. Perhaps someone else will have an idea.

  • by mattMDG,

    mattMDG mattMDG Aug 8, 2016 1:01 PM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 1:01 PM in response to dialabrain

    No worries dialabrain. I hope someone will be able to, because the last few hours I have started appreciating my Sony Vaio and Windows 10 more and more, whilst I was hoping I bought a twice as good laptop. So frustrating.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 8, 2016 1:06 PM in response to mattMDG
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 8, 2016 1:06 PM in response to mattMDG

    FWIW, I have 3 WD drives on one iMac. I can search any of them including one that's not indexed (with EasyFind). I have a portable WD drive for a MacBook which I can also search. So I haven't a clue.

  • by Ueli Schrader,

    Ueli Schrader Ueli Schrader Aug 8, 2016 3:50 PM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (42 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 3:50 PM in response to dialabrain

    One thing is the format of the external WD drive. In what format is the WD drive set up? I know that there are more than one option, which either Windows or the mac cannot use. I have mine 2TB WD drive formatted in MS-DOS (FAT 32) and it works in both worlds with searching.

    To find out what format is used I right-clicked on the drive in the finder and selected "get info". To change the format first back-up your data, then use the disk utility.

    I hope this helps.

     

    all the best and cheers

     

    Ueli

    -----

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 8, 2016 3:57 PM in response to Ueli Schrader
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 8, 2016 3:57 PM in response to Ueli Schrader

    All my drives are formatted as Mac drives but I'm not the one having a problem.

  • by bman46,

    bman46 bman46 Aug 8, 2016 9:14 PM in response to mattMDG
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Aug 8, 2016 9:14 PM in response to mattMDG

    manually index the drive by doing these steps:

    1. Choose Apple  menu > System Preferences, then click Spotlight.
    2. Click the Privacy tab.
    3. Drag the folder or disk that you want to index again to the list of locations that Spotlight is prevented from searching. Click OK to confirm.
    4. Select the folder or disk you just added, then click the Remove (–) button to remove it from the list.
    5. Quit System Preferences. Spotlight will reindex the contents of the folder or disk.

     

         also if it fails to index, you can force it by doing this command in terminal: sudo mdutil -i on "/Volumes/drive name"​

     

     

    ( just realized that someone linked it above, but i can't unpost it)

     

    Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

    http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/spotlight-how-to-index-an-external-disk.1551 979/

  • by Barney-15E,Helpful

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Aug 9, 2016 4:35 AM in response to mattMDG
    Level 8 (49,742 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 9, 2016 4:35 AM in response to mattMDG

    How is the drive formatted? I imagine NTFS if it works with Windows.

    If it is NTFS, is it writable? OS X can only read NTFS natively. You would need the ability to write to it in order to create the Spotlight index as it is written to the drive itself.

    But, I don't know if it can even index an NTFS drive.

  • by bman46,Solvedanswer

    bman46 bman46 Aug 9, 2016 4:39 AM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Aug 9, 2016 4:39 AM in response to Barney-15E

    thats probably why it won't work with easy find or spotlight. If it does happen to be the wrong format, format it to ExFat by using a windows computer (there has been issues with compatibility on windows if you use mac to format ) (instructions on that here: http://lifehacker.com/5927185/use-the-exfat-file-system-and-never-format-your-ex ternal-drive-again) Before you do that, move all of the files you have on there onto your computer or a different drive because that drive will be erased.

Page 1 Next