Indexing - how to force spotlight search re-indexing on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6

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marcnyc2001 Author

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Indexing - how to force spotlight search re-indexing on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6

Hello, I am running MacOS Mojave 10.14.6 on a MBP 2018 and my spotlight search is not working. After googling I tried going to Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy and adding the internal HDD to that window and the removing it again to force re-indexing, but even after doing that the Spotlight search window keeps saying "indexing" but, even after hours and hours, it can't find anything. I am searching for the word "contacts" but instead of finding the app all I get is results from the app store and websites but nothing from my hard drive...

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Apr 6, 2021 6:16 PM

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Answer 1

KMB_12

Community Specialist

Apr 7, 2021 12:27 PM in response to marcnyc2001

Hello marcnyc2001,

We see that you're trying to rebuild your Spotlight search on your Mac. We'd be happy to provide you with some information that can help.

You've tried some good steps already. We'd also like to have you take a look at the article below that can help.

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac

If the issue remains, try starting your Mac in safe mode and trying again. If the issue continues in safe mode, create a test user and test one more time. The articles below will guide you though those steps, if needed.

How to use safe mode on your Mac

Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Let us know how this goes and if you notice any changes.

Have a wonderful day!

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Indexing - how to force spotlight search re-indexing on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6

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