why does spotlight not find my phone contacts

Greetings Marlin35,

Thanks for becoming a member of the Apple Support Communities! We’re glad you’re here and can’t wait to hear more from you! :)

If you are unable to search for your contacts using Spotlight Search on your iPhone, I would first suggest checking to make sure Contacts are enabled for Spotlight Search. The attached article explains how to navigate to this setting and adjust which apps are included in Spotlight Search results.

Change search settings

Go to Settings > General > Spotlight Search.

From here, you can turn Siri Suggestions on or off and choose which apps to include in your searches. For example, if you don’t want to see search results from your Messages app, you can deselect Messages.

If you don’t want Siri or Spotlight to suggest nearby locations, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Then tap System Services and turn off Safari & Spotlight Suggestions

Use Search on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Please let us know if these steps were helpful to you in resolving this situation with Spotlight Search or to provide further info. We are glad that you are a part of the Apple Support Communities and look forward to your continued involvement!

Cheers!