This Library isn't Searchable... error in Photos. Library on internal HFS+ drive.

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This Library isn't Searchable... error in Photos. Library on internal HFS+ drive.

I'm running Ventura 13.5.1, 12-core Xeon Mac Pro with 96 GB RAM. The Mac OS is installed on a 4-TB Apple SSD containing only the OS and Applications. I have 2 SATA drives installed inside the case. The Photos system library is stored on /Volumes/UserData which is disk1s2 formatted as Journaled HFS+. The second SATA drive is disk4s2 and is formatted Apple_APFS and is used to store raw video and project libraries for Final Cut Pro.

I'm getting an error that "This Library isn't searchable in Spotlight due to its location". I've tried to force Spotlight to reindex by adding and then removing the folder in Spotlight preferences and that has not helped despite giving it 24 hours to do its thing. I've seen users getting this error when their Photos library is on an external drive, but I'm seeing it with the library on an internal SATA drive. I tried copying the Photos library to the APFS-formatted SATA disk and switching to it, but Photos still complains about it being non-searchable by Spotlight. Anyone know what the issue is?

Mac Pro

Posted on Sep 4, 2023 8:56 PM

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Answer 1

Ali_E1

Community Specialist

Sep 5, 2023 5:02 PM in response to tmckaskle

Hey tmckaskle,

Make sure you haven't excluded your other drives from Spotlight Privacy at Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy. This article from the macOS Ventura User Guide will show you how: Change Siri & Spotlight settings on Mac

It may also be worth it to note that searching in Finder and searching via Spotlight will yield different results. If you're searching Finder, try a Spotlight search as outlined here: If searching your Mac returns unexpected results

Ultimately, this may be a technically advanced issue that needs the experts at Apple Support. If you're not able to get the drives to index, consider connecting with them. You can connect from the Get Support portal in most countries. Get Support not working for you? Find the best phone number to call from your country here: Contact Apple for support and service

Kindest Regards.

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This Library isn't Searchable... error in Photos. Library on internal HFS+ drive.

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