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Hi,
I have a large folder, I want that folder to be excluded when I find things using Spotlight. So I added that folder into Spotlight > Privacy.
But when I enter that folder, I want to search somethings specific, I can't search anything. Finder shows nothing.
How can I do that?
I can decide what makes sense and what doesn't same way you can.
As you say it is a users point of view.
You have been told how it works if you want to take it up with Apple do so,
So you have chosen to exclude it from Spotlight, therefore it will also be excluded from a Finder search
as Finder uses the Spotlight index to reference files.
What is the point of you excluding it from Spotlight.
Because I want that folder to be excluded when I use spotlight (Cmd + Space). It contains a lot of project files, when I search using spotlight, I want files showing in Documents, Download, Desktop,... but not that folder (Projects folder).
Still doesn't make any sense to disable it from a Spotlight search but still wanting it to be searchable using Finder.
Anyway as I said the Finder uses Spotlights index as its reference.
Really a Finder search is a Spotlight search.
I don't think you can decide what is making sense, it's users' point of view.
I explained that I don't want to display file in that folder while using spotlight, but still want the result when searching in folder. I don't think it's hard to understand, because the circumstances is very different. Using spotlight is like a global searching, the other side, searching in finder is I want to search specifically in that folder, so search that for me.
I know that they're using the same index. So if there're no solution, Apple really need to upgrade this.
It’s true, as @Eau Rouge indicated, if you add an item to be excluded from Spotlight search, Spotlight covers the entire search spectrum of the Mac, especially Finder, which is the cornerstone of Mac navigation.
I’d think if I excluded something from being found in a search, but it was still being found, that this would be a serious flaw. So the fact that adding items to be excluded from a search result, are actually NOT showing up in a search result, that the system is doing its job as it was designed to do.
Companies are always evolving their software in part due to customer feedback, so I’d use the link that was posted earlier to give your input. I’m sure with the tech available now-a-days, there is a solution for everyone’s preference. Cheers.
Guys, you forgot one thing that I only want that folder excluded from spotlight, not exluded from all searches. I add that folder to Privacy because it's the only way to achieve that, NOT BECAUSE I WANT IT TO BE HIDDEN IN ALL SEARCHING.
Beside, that folder is a very large folder contains a lot of files, as I recall the process mdnstore consumes tons of CPU if I don't exclude that folder.
Regardless of what you want, it cannot be done as I have said the Finder search references the Spotlight index,
with indexing off for that folder it cannot be searched.
The mdnstore process will use a lot of CPU while it is indexing the folder, but once the indexing has completed
CPU usage will you go back to normal.
How much space does that folder take up,
My mac has over 8TBs of storage on internal and external drives all indexed by Spotlight and my mac runs perfectly well
and the CPU's are not being over ran.
I have over 10 small projects in that folder, and each project generates very many files on each build. I think the enormous number of files will affect the indexes.
And what I really want Finder to be better is, it's smart enough to not use the indexes to search when I entered the folder. For now I have to use some find command line or another file manager just to search in that folder.
A mac on its own without any user folders etc has hundreds of thousands of files and it copes fine with Spotlight.
So your Projects folder should cause any upset.
Have you tried having that folder indexed, I doubt it will affect your workflow.
You know the situation about how Finder is associated with the Spotlight index,
there is nothing you can do, you can either have it indexed or not, up to you.
Hey again!
Just a thought, and you may have already done this. I know if the file/folder is included to be found with Spotlight, that it’s causing a spike for this process, is that mainly what you’re trying to accomplish? Or just wanted to know a way to exclude from Spotlight and include in other apps like Finder?
If the point is this process eating CPU, did you move this folder into Spotlight Preferences, then remove it (“-“) to force Spotlight to go through it again? You could even re-index the entire startup volume, (Macintosh HD, usually), if it’s not functioning as it should.
If that’s not what you’re looking for, apologize, I personally don’t know if any other program or command that can separate the two functions, good luck!
Search in Finder while ignore it in Spotlight
