Spotlight permission issue with multiple users - user A can search files from user B

Hello everybody,

i need your help with a bad and precarious spotlight issue.

Mavericks is a clean install on my 2010 MacPro and Everything runs fine - but this issue is very annoying.

User A is admin - user B a normal user.

The Problem:

If user B uses spotlight in his account, he also gets the search results from files of User A.

This meens the files in the user folder from User A and also the files on his own extra hard-drive.

For Example to get it clear to you:

On the Desk of User A is a file called "birthday-presents.rtf".

User B searches in his Spotlight "birthday" - now he gets as a result also this file from User A.

He can not open it at all - but he can se it in the spotlight search results.

This also affects the mails, calendars etc.....

This is of course very bad to User A - because his file-names aren't secure anymore.

But also User B has a problem - because his Spotlight results are much longer with a lot files he don't want to see because this files are not his ones.

What can i do?

I rebuilded the spotlight index, but this does not help.

Permissions also seem to be OK - here is a screenshot (german, but i think you catch it).

Posted on Jan 6, 2014 5:08 PM

38 replies

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 7, 2014 9:21 AM in response to Harald Köhler

As A, please add the home folder to the Privacy list in the Spotlight preference pane. Can B still search it?

Jan 7, 2014 11:02 AM in response to Linc Davis

Did it - User B now can't search - but also User A now can not.

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 7, 2014 11:16 AM in response to Harald Köhler

Now remove the home folder from the exclusion list. Do you get the unwanted search results?

Jan 7, 2014 12:58 PM in response to Linc Davis

Yes i get them :-(

Everything is like before.

This move was nohting else than rebuild the index, wasn't it?

I have done this several times - over the terminal and with moving Users and the hard disk in privacy and removed it again.

After a while waiting for reindex everything is like bevore - User B gets also the search results with Files an Mails etc. from User A.....

:-(

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 7, 2014 1:48 PM in response to Harald Köhler

Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Jan 12, 2014 6:17 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks for your help - now i had time to time to follow your instructions.

Booting in safe Mode was OK - USER B couldn't search USER A's data.

But he also could't search in his data - spotlight only offered the web search.

So i think in safe mode the spotlight feature doesn't work - independently from my problem.

So i bootet again, loged in as USER A, than as USER B - and the Problem is still unchained :-(

Any further ideas?

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 13, 2014 11:49 AM in response to Harald Köhler

You wrote in your first message that the system is a "clean install." To me, that means that you erased the startup volume, installed the OS, and did not transfer anything from another system or a backup. Is that what you did?

Jan 14, 2014 7:09 AM in response to Linc Davis

Yes - that's right!

I transfered some Date like Mailboxes manually - but System, Apps etc. was a clean install.

New SSD, no upgrade and so on.

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:15 PM in response to Harald Köhler

Are the unexpected search results in a user's home folder, or are they on an external drive?

Jan 19, 2014 11:26 AM in response to Linc Davis

Both......

The unexpected search is on external HD and in myuser Folder.

I reinstalled Mavericks today.

It was a complete fresh install - no migration - but the fault also exists......

:-(

Any ideas?

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 20, 2014 10:30 AM in response to Harald Köhler

Unmount the external drive and see whether there's any change.

Jan 20, 2014 4:00 PM in response to Harald Köhler

Have you tried resetting user account permissions? This is different from disk permissions; there's a thread about it here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5275515?answerId=22860829022#22860829022 with detailed info (thanks, Linc Davis!). Doing this and then rebuilding Spotlight’s index actually solved the same problem for me, but unfortunately the problem came back, i just noticed it again today (about a week later i think).

In my case, it affects Finder tags as well. Is that also true in your case? Here's what i mean:

I have a separate user set up as a home theater/media user. Using Finder tags, i've set up a rating system, one to five stars, for media files. When i log in as the OTHER (non-media) user, these five tags all show up in the finder under “all tags”. If i click on a tag, i see a listing of movie files that belong to the media user, and are stored under the media user's home directory. The files cannot be accessed, but their titles and other info (file size, type, etc) are visible, same as described by OP.

There is no external hard drive in my setup. I can post more system info if anyone is interested, but i'm not trying to hijack the thread. Just hoping we can get to the bottom of it...

Jan 20, 2014 10:26 PM in response to Linc Davis

@ Linc Davis:

the past days i didn't do anything but searching for a solution to my problem.

so in the meantime i removed any other drive to limit the complexity of my problem.

only the SSD is onw in my mac pro.

but this didn't help so far - the problem is in the users folder.

i now have serveral times installed os x 10.9.1 and every time the same thing - the search results show files from the other user.....

any ideas left?

Jan 20, 2014 10:38 PM in response to playerzero

@ playerzero:

Yes - i dit the two things - but it didn't help :-(

Everything is like before....

I nearly did nothing else the last 2 days - but i have no solution yet...

- several clean installs of Mavericks USB

- no migration or old stuff like preferences etc..-

- rebuild Spotlight Index

- repairing permissions

- P-RRAM reset

- Boot in Recovery mode and repairing user permissions via "resetpassword"

- changing the bootvolume

- boot in safe-mode

...... now i haven't any idea anymore.

Here is a video which shows my Problem - filmed directly after another clean install with a new, fresh 10.9.1:

http://www.wohnzimmernews.de/mavericks-user.mov

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 21, 2014 6:04 AM in response to Harald Köhler

If all the facts are as you've stated, and I have to take your word for it that they are, then you're triggering an unknown bug. I have no idea how you're doing it, because I've seen no other reports like this one.

If I were in your place, I'd submit a detailed report at bugreporter.apple.com. I'd also consider contacting Apple Support in the hope of eventually getting through to someone who might know something. That won't happen right away. If the problem is caused by a bug rather than user error, the fee should be waived, but I can't promise that it will be.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Spotlight permission issue with multiple users - user A can search files from user B