Finder unable to find the files that I know exists in Downloads folder

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Level 1

11 points

Finder unable to find the files that I know exists in Downloads folder

Hello everyone.

Any ideea why my mac does not find files in the last few weeks? I'm searching in the Downloads folder , I have the files there but finder is not able to display any result, in the video bellow you can see those files had the "destination" word in the filename, I'm searching for destination, *destination* .. but I get nothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyLpBfvIIQ

Mac mini M2 @ 2023

Tahoe 26.5

Posted on Nov 3, 2026 9:18 AM

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Answer 1

kaz-k

Level 9

53,634 points

Nov 3, 2026 10:03 AM in response to ovisopa

Hi,

Rebuilding the Spotlight index usually fixes the issue where Finder or Spotlight cannot find files in your Downloads folder.

How to Rebuild the Spotlight Index

Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
Click on Siri & Spotlight (or just Spotlight).
Scroll down and click Spotlight Privacy (or Search Privacy).
Drag your Macintosh HD (or your Downloads folder) into the list, or click the + button to add it.
Wait about 30 seconds.
Select the drive or folder in the list and click the - button to remove it.
Leave your Mac plugged in and awake while macOS re-indexes the files from scratch.

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