After updating to macOS 26 Tahoe (26.3), third party applications will often not appear as results in Spotlight Search or in Apps.
I've tried using:
sudo mdutil -X /
sudo mdutil -i on /
Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem.
MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 26.3
Not seeing this on macOS 26.3.1. When I start typing the name of a 3rd party app, relevant results appear:
Make sure Apps are set to show with results in System Settings > Spotlight.
Your Terminal commands should have accomplished this (and more), but perhaps try rebuilding the Spotlight Index Apple's recommended way:
I've tried using:
sudo mdutil -X /
sudo mdutil -i on /
Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem.
Erasing the database (-X) tends to require a kickstart beyond turning indexing back on.
As already noted, doing a GUI re-index or using the -E may work. But, you might have to log out and log back in or restart.
And, there is always the possibility of a third-party metadata importer hanging up the indexing that worked prior to the update.
Update, the problem seemed to disappear for a while, so I thought this might've resolved with an update, but it appears to still be present in the latest release version of macOS Tahoe 26.4.1.
Again, apps released by Apple seem to be guaranteed to show up, but anything from a third party, regardless of source, will not.
Not a universal issue. There are several third-party apps showing on my M4 Pro Macbook Pro running 26.3.1:
To be clear, the apps will show up in the Apps menu. However, if you search for them, they will never appear.
Im having the same exact issue as DeadPixelPro
macOS 26.3: Third-party apps missing from Spotlight Search
