Mac finder fails to find files named with hyphen (MacOS Catalina 10.15.7)

I have no problem locating similarly names image files under This Mac:

Try rebuilding the index for Spotlight according to this Apple document; How to rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support  

Just to make sure it wasn't the file name I renamed an image file with your file name, 1993-05-04-Nick-Communion-01.jpg, and this is what I got:

1 - via the ⌘+spacebar method:

2 - via a finder window for This Mac:

This is with Catalina 10,15.7 (19H15) also.

mgabormomof5 wrote:

What is the suggested method? I don't understand what you mean by the ISO 8601 date format.

You can do it with the Finder* like this:

*NOTE: This demo was done in Big Sur and I don't remember if it's possible in Catalina. Give it a try.

Or you can try Name Mangler which will do the job very nicely and in Catalina.

I can verify that on Catalina 10.15.7 (19H15), that the Finder/Spotlight search does not find filenames constructed as:

1993-05-04-Nick-Communion-01.jpg

but does immediately find this naming revision, using name:communion:

1993-05-04_Nick_Communion_01.jpg

That first name format is the first time that I have no been able to find any random filename on my Mac with Spotlight. I have no explanation for an all hyphen filename cloaking itself from the Spotlight.

Renaming would be tricky due to not wanting to change the ISO 8601 date format, but only the other hyphens. I figured this out in the Zsh shell this afternoon, but I paid for it in time.

Just to complement that information: this renaming method using the Finder works in Catalina, as well (actually I think it has worked for years).

And I also have no trouble finding files with hyphens, either in the Finder or with Spotlight (I'm still in Catalina).

I don't think that having a hyphen is the problem.

You may try a simple test.

Make a copy of one of these files, and rename that copy to remove the hyphens. Does that file show in your searches?

These format of files with hyphens are readily found with Spotlight in Big Sur 11.0.1. Just tested it.

I also had no problem finding such files in Catalina either.