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My Spotlight Won't Do Even Simple Searches!

I can no longer find any file in my Documents folder. Even when I put in the title of a document, it shows nothing. I've unselected Documents from the list of folders to check, in System Preferences.. Then rechecked it again, and yet, several hours later, still drawing blanks. This is quite frustrating and there's no reason this should be acting in this manner. When even the most basic, simple processes aren't working, something's really off.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Dec 27, 2020 12:50 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 27, 2020 6:59 AM

Open System Preferences : Spotlight : Privacy panel and drag/drop your startup drive (Macintosh HD) icon onto that Privacy panel. Wait ten seconds, and then select that entry, and remove [-] it. This will start Spotlight re-indexing your drive again. Wait 10 - 15 minutes, and try your Spotlight search of contents in your documents folder. Use the Narrow your search results on Mac guide.

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2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 27, 2020 6:59 AM in response to Saxman

Open System Preferences : Spotlight : Privacy panel and drag/drop your startup drive (Macintosh HD) icon onto that Privacy panel. Wait ten seconds, and then select that entry, and remove [-] it. This will start Spotlight re-indexing your drive again. Wait 10 - 15 minutes, and try your Spotlight search of contents in your documents folder. Use the Narrow your search results on Mac guide.

My Spotlight Won't Do Even Simple Searches!

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