Can't Search - Privacy List Error from Spotlight Prefs

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Level 1

19 points

Can't Search - Privacy List Error from Spotlight Prefs

I got a new Mac Pro (2019) and am almost finished setting it up. I did not use migration assistant, I did it from scratch. It went very smoothly.

There is one big problem and that's Spotlight. It will only search my Macintosh HD - Data.

I opened the Spotlight preferences, went to the Privacy tab, and tried to add the various drives to the "prevent" window but I always get the same error:

Privacy List Error

The item couldn't be added or removed because of an unknown error.

Nothing I do seems to fix this. I ran Disk Utility repair. No change.

I see that other people have had this problem but not in recent years. I'm out of ideas, can anybody help?

Thank you very much.

Jon

Mac Pro 2019

Processor 3.9 GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon W

Memory 96 GB 2933 MHz DDR4

macOS Catalina - Version 10.15.6

Posted on Oct 8, 2020 12:58 PM

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Answer 1

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 7:41 AM in response to JRS320

Well, isn't this an amazing thing? I did a safe reboot, opened the Spotlight prefs and suddenly I'm able to add and subtract drives to the privacy window.

I left one drive in it, then rebooted. The drive I left in the Privacy window was gone but now I'm able to add drives and then remove them. And, the spotlight search is working!!!

I think the problem has been solved but am not really sure why that would have changed anything. Not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. What do you think?

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

250,719 points

Oct 9, 2020 3:44 PM in response to JRS320

Report looks good.

Manually Rebuilding Spotlight via Terminal

If the aforementioned Spotlight control panel approach doesn’t spur a reindexation of the drive, you may need to initiate it manually through the command line. Open Terminal and use the following command string to do so:

sudo mdutil -E /

This basically asks for temporary super user status, which is why Terminal may ask you for your password (it may not if you’ve used a sudo command recently or are already logged in as a super user or root. The command asks the unix tool mdutil to reindex the spotlight database for everything on the computer, including external drives, mounted disk images, etc.

sudo mdutil -i on /

Rebuilding a drive index can take a long time, so be prepared to wait whether you do it through the System Preference panel or the command line.

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Answer 3

Oct 8, 2020 8:43 PM in response to JRS320

what are the top-level permission on the Volume (in Finder, select the drive itself, and choose getInfo) like this one:

.

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,719 points

Oct 9, 2020 8:21 PM in response to JRS320

Hmm, space after sudo, space after mdutil, space after E

Looks good...

im19:/ bd1$ sudo mdutil -E /

Password:

/:

Indexing enabled.

im19:/ bd1$ sudo mdutil -i on /

/:

Indexing enabled.

im19:/ bd1$

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Answer 5

Oct 9, 2020 9:47 AM in response to JRS320

Consider running this little "Discovery" Utility, called EtreCheck. It changes/solves Nothing. It only purpose is the create a report of what is running on your Mac, possibly identifying any add-ons that readers may find have been a problem.

The directions are a little complicated:.

Once you launch the App, you need to change its internal Preferences to "allow full disk Access" before saying GO.

When completed, you use the "Share" Icon to place the sanitized report on your Mac clipboard, then Paste it into reply on the forums using the Additional text Icon in the footer:

Using EtreCheck to Troubleshoot Potential… - Apple Community

.

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Answer 6

Oct 9, 2020 7:16 AM in response to JRS320

I was fishing for whether it was NTFS format, or you had only ever used the maker's Utilities to format it, which can leave it inherently NTFS, but emulating a Mac format. Your statement suggests that is NOT the case.

But having three drives that refuse to cooperate on the same Mac... that suggests you have loaded software that interferes with indexing. Are you running any third-party anti-Virus software?

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Answer 7

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 7:23 AM in response to JRS320

I'm going to do a safe boot of the computer and see if that makes a difference. Back in a few minutes.

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Answer 8

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 6:49 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

It's formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It was erased with DiskUtility before I used it. It was in use prior to this computer on my Mac Pro (2013). I never had a problem searching it on that computer.

It's a Western Digital WD6003FZBX

I should mention that this situation is the same with three other disks of various makes and models.

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Answer 9

Oct 9, 2020 6:35 AM in response to JRS320

what format is that drive? What Make&Model? did you ERASE it with DiskUtility when new?

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Answer 10

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 8, 2020 8:32 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Nope, there's nothing on the "prevent" list. Here's the sequence of events:

Spotlight will not search the external drives. Apple recommends rebuilding the Spotlight search index by adding the drive to the "prevent" list, then removing it. They say this will index the drive to allow it to be searched.

When I try to add a drive to the "prevent" list, it refuses to do it and gives me the error message:

Privacy List Error

The item couldn't be added or removed because of an unknown error.

And that's the problem. To fix it, I'm supposed to index it but it won't let me index it.

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Answer 11

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 7:12 AM in response to JRS320

It just occurred to me that it might be significant that these drives are all in an OWC ThunderBay 4 Four-Bay Thunderbold 3 Raid 0 Enclosure. They are not Raid formatted, I'm just using the drive bay to hold them. I don't see why this would present a problem but...could it? Not sure how to test it.

I also have an OWC Accelsior 4M2 SSD drive that's inside the Mac Pro (2019). It won't search either. And if I drag it into the privacy tab window of the Spotlight preferences, I get the error message.

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Answer 12

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 9:14 AM in response to JRS320

No, the problem has not been solved. On my next reboot, it has returned. Only the internal drive is getting searched, I can't put drives into the Privacy window to force Spotlight to index them.

I've tried to recreate the "fix." I safety booted, dragged the drives in (yes, they go in), remove them, reboot. Nothing. I'm at a loss.

I should mention that I purchased an app from the App Store, called "Find Any File." It works but is just a workaround. I really want to get Spotlight to work.

Thanks again for all your advice.

Jon

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Answer 13

Oct 9, 2020 3:13 PM in response to JRS320

Thanks for attempting to post your report.

But it was a attached as a LINK, and is not readable that way -- the system claims it is too busy to show it to me. maybe I will be able to see it later, when it gets less busy.

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Answer 14

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 4:47 PM in response to BDAqua

Am I doing this correctly?

Opened Terminal

Copy/Paste: sudo mdutil -E / (Terminal tells me that Indexing is enabled)

Copy/Paste: sudo mdutil -i on / (Terminal tells me that Indexing is enabled)

Is it doing anything? I can't tell. Maybe I did something wrong. I don't do Terminal often.

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Answer 15

JRS320 Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 9, 2020 8:27 PM in response to BDAqua

Holy Cow, you've gone so far past my zone that I have no idea what to do. Do I copy/paste that whole thing or do it one piece at a time? Do I fill in my password? I tried a couple of things but it just keeps saying, no file or directory: im19:/

I'm lost!

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Can't Search - Privacy List Error from Spotlight Prefs

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