Mail search not working after Big Sur install

Hi, JLewisH.

Yes, in my experience MAIL would search the mailbox you had "chosen" and all sub-mailboxes..... and seems to do so if the "Spotlight Restart" steps are completed.... at least many seem to have success when doing this (recovery may be temporary but it's simple enough to do again as needed)::

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• 
• Process will re-start and search should work now

Since Apple doesn't track this particular discussion thread, may I suggest that you also report this problem (and your frustration) at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hi, seefilns.

Many people seem to have success when doing the following steps (recovery may be temporary but it's simple enough to do again quickly as needed - especially if you just leave Activity Monitor open)::

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• 
• Process will re-start and search should work now

Since Apple doesn't track this particular discussion thread, may I suggest that you also report this problem (and your frustration) at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hi, convertedluddite.

Have you tried restarting/killing the "corespotlightd" process? Many people seem to have success when doing the following steps (recovery may be temporary but it's simple enough to do again quickly as needed - especially if you just leave Activity Monitor open)::

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• 
• Process will re-start and search should work now

Since Apple doesn't track this particular discussion thread, may I suggest that you also report this problem (and your frustration) at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hi, TrevorGainesville.

Have you tried restarting/killing the "corespotlightd" process? Many people seem to have success when doing the following steps (recovery may be temporary but it's simple enough to do again quickly as needed - especially if you just leave Activity Monitor open)::

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• 
• Process will re-start and search should work now

Since Apple doesn't track this particular discussion thread, may I suggest that you also report this problem (and your frustration) at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hey,

these steps helps to me:

• quit the app
• open the Mail wit h holding the SHIFT key
• quit the app
• open the Mail wit h holding the SHIFT key
• quit the app
• restart the Mac

__gabe__

User level:

Level 1

(9 points)

Nov 20, 2020 12:14 AM in response to DavidC-L

I'm also tried to reindex the "Macintosh HD".

• open the Terminal

sudo mdutil -i off -E /
# disable the indexing
sudo mdutil -s /
# status check: /:	Indexing disabled.

• restart the Mac

sudo mdutil -i on /

Also might try turning off Spotlight for Mail and Messages, although that hasn't helped me.

The simple steps are:

• launch the application 'Activity monitor'
• you will see all the processes running on your Mac
• in the search box top right of the window type: 'corespotlightd' without quotes. We are lucky, that search box works !
• click on the process 'corespotlightd' listed, there might be more than one if you have multiple users logged in. Select the one of your user.
• click on the cross button at the top of window, usually the left most, this is used to quit of force quit a process
• a window will appear asking if you really want to do that, click on 'force quit'
• sometimes the process will restart immediately, you barely notice it stopped. It's Ok, no need to do it again.
• check if the search works in Mail. It should work now, if not try again force quitting in Activity monitor. For me it works every single time on first try
• quit 'Activity monitor'
• go to Apple feedback page and file a bug report and tell them how bad they are performing ! https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

Hi. A couple of suggestions:

a) try the following procedure (it seems to work for most users with this problem - at least temporarily but then it can easily be repeated):

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• Process will re-start and search should work now

b) Please report this problem at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hi.

None here has yet found a permanent fix for this problem.

A couple of suggestions:

a) try the following procedure (it seems to work for most users with this problem - at least temporarily but then it can easily be repeated without restarting - if you find it works for you):

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• Process will re-start and search should work now

b) Please report that you are having this problem at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Hi, Clara..

We all here share your frustration with this problem.

At this time your "Spotlight Restart" seems to be the method of choice to restore the search function:

-the following procedure (it seems to work for most users with this problem - at least temporarily but then it can easily be repeated):

• Open Activity Monitor
• Identify "corespotlightd" process name (it's possible you may have more than one)
• Stop the "corespotlightd" process(es) using x-icon
• Process will re-start and search should work now

Since Apple doesn't track this particular discussion thread, may I suggest that you also report this problem (and your frustration) at https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html [select Bug Report from the Feedback Type popup] This is where Apple expects to get Bug Reports.

Thanks

Update ! and bad news !

I did a complete reset of my MacBook Air, erase the DD, dowloaded a fresh Big Sur and created two users (without using Time Machine).

So I have MacBook like new, not a single extra piece of software or driver or data, two empty users we will call A & B. My plan was to slowly add software and data and drivers until the moment I will see the bug appear, it would have given me an indication of what the problem could be. Things got faster than I expected ! 😤

I then setup an email account for user A, not an iCloud account but a simple map account. I give it time to download emails and use the search in Mail, it works as expected.

I go to user B, I don't even create an email account, I use fast switching to User A and Mail search still works as expected.

I fast switch back to user B, do nothing and simply log out of user B, remember this is what triggers the bug.

Log in user A, and bam, search is broken, exactly like it happens on my two Macs since Big Sur.

On an empty MacBook with only Big Sur installed, no other piece of software !

It means that he bug does not depend on anything else than Big Sur and Mail, not even iCloud, 100% reproducible and affecting every Mac with multiple users ? I cannot believe this went through QA in the first place and 3 months after the release of Big Sur it still exists ?

Apple, please, don't make Big Sur the Vista of Apple, I hate to realise I spent hours trying to understand why this bug happens thinking it is because of my configuration, only to find out it is a huge atrocious bug in Big Sur from the start.

So disappointed, and no answers to the multiple feedbacks I reported.

So sad...

I had the issue that search would not search.

I did rebuild and resync accounts - no improvement

I also followed the above advice on opening with shift key - no improvement

SUCCESS!

I cannot find it anymore to give credit, but someone posted some advice which was to right click (control click) on the toolbar and go to customise. In customise you can remove the search textbox by dragging it to the pane of options and it puffs away - then drag it back again.

After this everything worked.

I think the person who posted this fix correctly suggested that just because the search box is there, it might not really be.

Thank you whoever you are!

My recommendation is to try the re-adding of the search box first. If that fails, resync and rebuild, close the app and start with shift, close again and reboot. The re-add the search box just in case one of those steps is also necessary.

The new Big Sur OS 11.1 Update that just came out (Dec 14, 2020) has fixed the problem for me. Here are the release notes: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-big-sur-11_1-release-notes Interesting enough, there is no mention of it fixing anything affecting mail or search. Sometimes I wonder if Apple fixes problems that they don't want to report. But in any event, there you go!

Hi,

I had this problem, and I solved doing the following steps:

• Verify if you have contents in the folder …/Library/Mail/Bundles. If you have please delete the contents;
• Make sure on Spotlight:

• Open Terminal Window;
• Run the following commands:

1. 1. sudo mdutil -i off /
   2. sudo mdutil -E /
   3. sudo mdutil -i on /

• This will index everything in MAC, including Mail. After Index Bar finishes, it can take about 24 hours to index is completed, leave the MAC running during the night

Regards

There are several posts in this thread that will restore the search function in MAIL to you with a couple of simple steps including that from GanawaGangunawa:

Force killing 'corespotlightd' still fixes it. 

...also, Apple isn't monitoring this thread as it's for user discussions.

If you'd like to make a report of your/this bug to Apple, navigate to:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

...and fill out and submit the form selecting BUG REPORT from the FEEDBACK TYPE: