You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Finder search not finding files that are actually there

I've already forced Finder to quit and tried again - but Finder still doesn't find a file that actually exists. What's going on?

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14

Posted on Mar 12, 2020 12:42 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 12, 2020 10:33 AM

The Finder uses Spotlight for searching, and it sometimes needs to be forced to re-index its database. Here's how:


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


This might take some time! Hope this helps you! Regards, Ian.

5 replies

Mar 12, 2020 1:41 AM in response to silver_mica

silver_mica Said:

"Finder search not finding files that are actually there: I've already forced Finder to quit and tried again - but Finder still doesn't find a file that actually exists. What's going on?"

-------


Try Spotlight Search:

Try Spotlight Search, and see if these files pop up: [Hold Down: command + Press: spacebar ]


Type the name of the file:

Finder search not finding files that are actually there

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.