A Spotlight Search, made within an open Finder window, is not producing any results for a search, specifically pointed to the actual folder.
Background.
Just bought a 2021 MacBook Pro, M1Max 64Gb Ram. All is good. Running Ventura 13.2
Made a fresh Time Machine backup, with 1 backup only, from the previous MacBook and migrated to new machine.
All is good and it went as expected.
However, I have found something that I can't solve, nor the Apple Technicians at this point either.
I use Finder a lot. I navigate to a Folder and/ or sub-folders. Once there, I am presented with all of the files inside the my chosen folder in a Finder window. In my case specifically, about 25,000 jpeg files. I have them all named with year month date to begin a file name. ie 20220209 would be the beginning of the name for Feb9,2022. When I want to filter my search within the chosen folder, I can enter say 1975 into the search field of Finder, not the main Spotlight search, but the smaller spotlight that's inside the Finder. By default, once you start typing in that field, results appear with files containing 1975 ....but.... that's the results from the searching of "this Mac". I know that's the way it operates by default. However, you are then able to select the subfolder, which is showing in the tab right beside the Mac, and it should narrow down the search to just the sub-folder. For whatever reason, mine always shows zero results.
So far, I have been able to determine that the exact type of search, if performed in Folders outside of my "user account", will actually display results that I am seeking. It just isn't working with searches in folders or subfolders within my "User Account".
I had made a fresh TimeMachine backup. I chose create a new user so that I wouldn't end up with two users.
My hunch is this was a Spotlighting indexing issue, so I looked up Apple support and followed their instructions to use within the Systems and Settings ,Siri and Spotlight. Scrolling down to the bottom of the spotlight panel you will find a Spotlight Privacy ? that will lead you to the area where you need to add the folder, delete the folder, click done. There is a specific Apple Support web page with the details to follow. To my way of thinking, this process was to tell the Spotlight to not look at the folder and then immediately allow it to look in the folder by deleting it. A quick in and out. I was under the impression this would maybe re-index that folder, but that has not happened. I understand the process is supposed to take some time but I did my own about 3 days ago with zero progress. I have checked the Activity Monitor afterwards and I might say there was some increased activity, but nothing that would indicate it was active in a working and reindexing manner. I then went through this same procedure when on the phone with technical support yesterday. I was also on the phone again today doing the same thing.
I am open to suggestions as the offered solution to retry everything doesn't appeal to me. Seeing as how we have also tested a new user, loaded some new documents/folders and it does work in the test, it has something to do with my user transfer. It has nothing to do with a bad OS software, just something to do with the "User Folder" being prevented to allow any of it's sub Folders to be searched, that was migrated to the new machine. If there are any other people or experts with other suggestions, I am willing to try them at this stage. Basically I've been encouraged to redo the Migration, but I've changed many folders and files and don't want to go down that rabbit hole just yet, and I was hoping somebody else may have encountered this and found their own solution or have been directed to the answer.
Otherwise, I am struggling with why there isn't a solution to tell your Mac to forget about it's current Spotlight and force a new indexing for everything that's in the drive now. However, that's what I thought I had been asking when I followed their instructions. Obviously,
I'm looking forward to suggestions.
Regards Only2cents
MacBook Pro Apple Silicon