Finder does not show files on current folder, but it does on "This Mac"

Here is what I did (M2 MacBook Pro):

• Restart into One True Recovery (Shutdown, hit power button, then press and hold Power until Options)
• Open Disk Utility
  • Select Data volume and Mount. It will ask for a Password if it is encrypted (FileVault).
• Exit Disk Utility.
• From the Utilities menu, Select Terminal
• Run these commands:

cd /Volumes/Data
rm -R .Spotlight-V100

• Restart normally
• Open Terminal and run this command:

sudo mdutil -E /

sudo will ask for an admin password. Enter your password and hit return. It won't echo anything on the screen when you type the password.

Once it finishes indexing, it should display found items in their folders.

I spoke to apple support. After trying a few diagnostics, a few steps and a couple terminal commands that didnt fix it we finally stumbled on something that did.

The following commands:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

enter password

sudo mdutil -Eai off

sudo mdutil -Eai on

mdutil -as

Then I added Machintosh HD to spotlight privacy exclusion list. Waited a minute, then removed it.

Checked spotlight and it was indexing.

Now finder search and spotlight file search work for me.

These commands also worked for me on Sonoma 14.3.1!

sudo mdutil -Eai off

sudo mdutil -Eai on

mdutil -as

Then I added Machintosh HD to spotlight privacy exclusion list. Waited a minute, then removed it.

I finally got my search back! Thanks @JCDC85 and @Joost00

sudo mdutil -Eai off

sudo mdutil -Eai on

mdutil -as

Then I added Machintosh HD to spotlight privacy exclusion list. Waited a minute, then removed it.

Just performing the actions above worked for me @JCDC85! Thanks.

I had the issue after migrating all data from a 2020 MBA to a 2023 M2 MBP.

It does work in Sonoma as far as I know. However, I think one of the updates made it so reindexing Spotlight would sort it out.

You have to be in Recovery.

The Data Volume may be named Macintosh HD - Data (or whatever you named your startup drive + “ - Data”

If you encrypted the drive (FileVault), you will need to use Disk Utility to mount it providing the encryption password.

Actually, I found that without going in the Recovery Mode. It was hiding here:

/System/Volumes/Data/.Spotlight-V100

PS: Looks like in Ventura, Apple decided to confuse its users, calling "Data" too as "Macintosh HD".

A couple of observations:

In Finder Settings : Advanced, make this change:

and if you are on the Desktop when you perform a Spotlight query, there will be a "Desktop" category in addition to "This Mac."

You only need to open a new Finder Window and use its built-in search field, or the Spotlight tool from the menu extras menubar. Using the Finder's ⌘F shortcut isn't necessary with or without an open Finder window.

Secondly, just entering the string "drum" to Spotlight is requesting it to check every selected Result category including text inside documents. Better to use the case-insensitive name reserved word that only deals with files.

(kind:folder name:drums) OR name:.jpg
kind:audio +.wav created:>01/01/2024
kind:image +.jpg size:>10000
kind:jpeg height:>320 width:>229 size:>10000

Apple has provided some further information on these Spotlight reserved words in:

Narrow your search results on Mac - Apple Support

I don't have any directory called Data under Volumes. I just have the following:

➜  /Volumes ls -la
total 0
drwxr-xr-x   3 root  wheel   96 Jun  2 12:10 .
drwxr-xr-x  20 root  wheel  640 May 13 03:59 ..
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root  wheel    1 Jun  2 12:10 Macintosh HD -> /

In this case, where might .Spotlight be located for me?

----

I did a quick

sudo find / -name .Spotlight-V100 2>/dev/null

and it gave me null output, suggesting it's not on my system! 😩

PS: Looks like in Ventura, Apple decided to confuse its users, calling "Data" too as "Macintosh HD".

It's not. You just don't understand the way the Data volume is mounted and the Finder makes it appear to be a single drive.

I don’t know. I just looked started examining things when they split the drive int System and Data (and several other volumes).

This blog has a lot of detailed information on Time Machine, so they may have info on the file system.

https://eclecticlight.co/mac-problem-solving/

One thing that is also odd about Apple Silicon Macs on Ventura, the Data volume is named Data, not Macintosh HD - Data. No matter the name, the Data volume is mounted to /System/Volumes/Data.

Thank you for figuring this out. I did not have to mount Data volume because it already was. I just did the other commands. It worked great! This used to work on Ventura on my 2018 MacBook Pro but didn’t after I got a M2 and restored from Time Machine backup. Was about to wipe disk and reinstall to see if pulling things over file by file would build index. Thank you!

Thank you @Barney-15E! I had the same problem as posed in the original question. I had used the sudo mdutil command on its own, as well as adding and removing Macintosh HD via Settings, without success. Your process did the trick, and I am relieved.

Barney-15E

I’m on M1 MacBook Pro, in recovery, with Macintosh HD-Data mounted, quite Disk Utility, go to utilities -> terminal.

Terminal started me with

-bash-3.2#

I type in:

cd /Volumes/Data

I get “No such file or directory”

Anybody know what I am doing wrong?

Edit:

I added “system”

cd /System/Volumes/Data

that at least didn’t return “no such file or directory.

But after that I do the:

rm -R .Spotlight-V100

and get “no such file or directory”. Even though I go to that location in safe mode and see the folder sitter there for .Spotlight-V100.

I even use the right click, services, create terminal at folder and it shows me the path

cd /System/Volumes/Data/.Spotlight-V100 ##