Spotlight search does not index new files and applications

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Level 1

13 points

Spotlight search does not index new files and applications

Hello everyone!

So, a quick backstory: I'm still using my MacBook Pro 2015 and already replaced the battery. Since then configd and powerd are occasionally acting up when on battery mode. Which led me to believe that there are some configurations/things I could try that help to prevent this. Which brings me to this topic:

One thing I tried was to disable Spotlight. First manually, then via the command `sudo mdutil -i off`. As it didn't do anything, I set it back to `on`.

However, now whenever I add new apps to the `/Application/` folder, those won't be indexed. Neither with Spotlight itself nor with Alfred (which I suppose just reuses the index of Spotlight)

Does anyone know how I can fix this and/or better debug this? I am suspecting that the indexing stops due many files (e.g. a ton of multiple node_modules folders)

Any help would be great :) thank you!

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Apr 16, 2024 6:22 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 16, 2024 7:22 AM in response to butterbrei

Try running this command:

sudo mdutil -E /

type your password as requested (there is no feedback as you type), and press enter.

Give it some time as it reindexes your system drive.

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Answer 2

butterbrei Author

Level 1

13 points

Apr 16, 2024 11:35 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks, that did do something. The status was shown (as VikingOSX mentioned) in the Spotlight search (for following readers: search for something to actually see the progress bar)

However, sadly this didn't fix the issue. The indexing took indeed a couple of seconds, maybe a minute or so but was quickly done and new applications/files were not found.

What actually did the trick was deleting the .Spotlight-V100 folder and restarting the system. It took a couple of hours, but now it is working again.

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

125,176 points

Apr 16, 2024 8:44 AM in response to butterbrei

If you launch the Spotlight tool 🔍 from the menu bar, it will show a progress bar indicating indexing in progress activity and during that time, Spotlight searches will be blocked. Usually, you will see this when you force indexing as Luis has suggested, but it can also be present at other times too — such right after starting the Mac.

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

125,176 points

Apr 16, 2024 12:02 PM in response to butterbrei

Slash and burn of the .Spotlight-V100 folder should not be required. I have never done that and regardless of the operating system running, I have had no issues with Spotlight search results. No issues with Monterey 12.7.4.

Knowing how to use the Spotlight reserved keywords or combinations of them can improve search results.

Narrow your search results on Mac - Apple Support

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Spotlight search does not index new files and applications

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