Spotlight doesn't find some apps on Mac os sequoia 15.1

Seems almost assuredly directory corruption, have you used Disk Utility to run 1st aid on the whole drive?

If you want top results in Spotlight for the apps, you use this format, where the name string is case-insensitive and only needs to be long enough to uniquely match the application name (CotEditor):

kind:app name:cote

This is how you narrow your Spotlight search results using Spotlight keywords. You type a little more and have less frustration… The other assumption is that you have System Settings > Spotlight > Search Results categories selected for the appropriate search type.

While not a proper answer, one reason why this issue doesn't bother me is that i have used Alfred for years. Option-Spacebar and type in your apps, and Alfred is always there for you. Never fails, and does so so so much more, and is free!

what help me was opening the app directly from finder under Applications and then it showed up on the spotlight search.

Yes, it’s in `/opt/anaconda3`

Spotlight doesn’t return results from “system” directories of which /opt is one. Try making an alias of the app in the /Applications folder.

unfortunately this does not help my case. I have always had application checked and toggled and it still does not show applications properly. I also used command to rebuild index in terminal and reboot mac. It works. Overnight, it stop working again. this is frustrating.

Did your (BDAqua) suggestion - unfortunately, that did not solve it in my case.

Earlier I thought Spotlight crash'ing has to do with Time Machine

[in line with this thread],

but doing your 'lsregister' commands (and all the rest, killall on Dock and Finder, switching Spotlight on and off), then just waiting a little, Spotlight amnesia occurred again.

Before connecting my external Time Machine backup disk.

Back at step one.

Pls Apple, how can this be, a computer unable perform a search???

BTW, this is a nice test:

Open 'System Settings'. Into its own search field (top left within its window) put in some term that should be addressed (e.g. Trackpad, Spotlight [yes, what an irony], ...) and -NO- suggestions are presented ...

But 'mdutil as' claims:

$ mdutil -as

/:

Indexing enabled.

/System/Volumes/Data:

Indexing enabled.

/System/Volumes/Preboot:

Indexing enabled.

Sure ...

I'm having the same issue frequently, I was using Sequoia 15.2 and just updated to 15.3.2 hoping that the bug is fixed in the new update, but it stills happening. I've tried deleting the spotlights folders in finder and it seems to work but when I restart the Mac the bug comes back, it's really annoying, I expect Apple to solve this asap.

same here. I rebuilt the index and reboot the mac and it works fine. Then over the night, the problem came back in the morning.

Even after attempting each resolution suggested in this thread: ensuring that "Applications" are enabled in Spotlight search (they were and still are), rebuilding the index, etc - there are still many (most!) apps that Spotlight Search won't find.

Time to unlearn years of muscle memory: Is this some passive/aggressive attempt to train me to use Launchpad??

Any 'official' response from Apple on this? As much as I love community support - this is a major breaking change for me - and I'm actually consider downgrading to see if I can restore the functionality?? :O

This one did it for me. Spotlight breaks all the time, it wont even find stock apps. However running the commands above here solved the issue. Geeez, Apple, back when "it just works" was true, was a long time ago.

Hey, Edimar Martins, I just wanted to say a big thank you!

This really did it for me! This issue was driving me crazy. The last versions of macOS 15.1.1 and iOS 18.1.1 were giving me such a headache with all those temperature spikes and the endless indexing problems on Spotlight and Finder's "Find" feature. I just hope 15.2 and 18.2 fix those issues.

Really appreciate your help, buddy!

I have the same issue. I've waited for an update that came and the issue is still there. Some days it works and then I wake up and says that is reindexing something and then boom ... no apps. I don't know what did you change but please fix it. I know there are third party apps that does what spotlight is doing but if I prefer to use the native solutions as much as I can. It bothers me that for something that massive there is no official comment from Apple.

Update - The search issue came back (Fix lasted about three weeks). Ran the Carlotan recipe again to see how long it lasts. This is definitely a bug that Apple should address as anything we do here seems to be a temporary work-around.

None of the suggestions work for me :(.

But, I'm having trouble with one app only, Anaconda-Navigator, and I think the problem is that this app has a link in Applications (to its real location) where the rest of the apps are actually in Applications.

Anyone else seen similar?