Since upgrading to Catalina, Spotlight no longer indexes hard drive that contains time machine backup.

I have an 8TB external hard drive that contains a directory for my time machine backups as well as separate data directories. Since upgrading to Catalina, Spotlight no longer searches that drive. I attempted the procedures documented to rebuild the indices (add/remove the drive from Spotlight Privacy Preferences), but cannot add the drive (or selected directories), with an error message "“RAID-Drive” is a Time Machine backup folder. You cannot add it to the privacy list."

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Nov 18, 2019 6:56 AM

Top-ranking reply

miro776

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Jan 13, 2020 5:03 PM

I have 2TB external drive and I've been using it for files and time maschine backup. After upgrade to catalina -> stop work spotlight on it.

Solution work for me:

1) Partition disk

2) Set up time maschine to partion which I want.

3) Eject external disk.

4) Plug in back.

That's all, indexing files except for time maschine partion work like before Catalina.

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19 replies

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,254 points

Nov 18, 2019 7:11 AM in response to fingerstyle-guitar

Spotlight is inherent to the normal operation of Time Machine. It is unclear to me that Time Machine, or Spotlight itself, will even work properly on an external RAID drive configuration.

Dec 15, 2019 3:31 PM in response to mcbaires

Exactly the same experience here. Previously fine, but with Catalina, nothing from the external drive is being indexed. Followed the same steps, and garnered the exact same results.

Jan 11, 2020 6:06 PM in response to GaryP627

I checked my problem drive. It was already set to both read and write.

Bounorwa

Level 1

14 points

Dec 24, 2019 5:21 PM in response to fingerstyle-guitar

i HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND SOME OTHERS WITH CATALINA, I HOPE APPLE WILL FIX MOST PROBLEMS SOON. UP TO NOW, CATALINA IS A PAIN IN THE ....

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Since upgrading to Catalina, Spotlight no longer indexes hard drive that contains time machine backup.