HT204014: Mac Basics: Spotlight helps you find what you're looking for

Learn about Mac Basics: Spotlight helps you find what you're looking for
jimoase
Level 1 (9 points)
Desktops

Q: Can Spotlight still search file content for phrases?

Spotlight seems to have lost the ability to find phrases within a document.

 

Is that your experience or do I have a setting wrong?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Jan 22, 2016 6:03 PM

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jimoase

Q: Can Spotlight still search file content for phrases?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by balsa2,

    balsa2 balsa2 Jan 24, 2016 12:27 PM in response to jimoase
    Level 3 (516 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 24, 2016 12:27 PM in response to jimoase

    working for me :

    Screen Shot 2016-01-24 at 20.15.31.png

    Spotlight search results boxes checked in System Preferences are :

     

    Applications

    Calculator

    Conversion

    Definition

    Documents

    Folder

    Fonts

    Images

    Other

    Presentations

    Spreadsheets

    System Preferences

  • by jimoase,

    jimoase jimoase Jan 24, 2016 4:34 PM in response to balsa2
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 24, 2016 4:34 PM in response to balsa2

    Thanks for the info.   Mine is setup like yours.

     

    I have made this search many times over the last few years.  The first time I did the search Spotlight found nothing.  The second time files were found but not the file I was looking for.

     

    The word being searched has a colon after the last letter.  In the past the colon never made a difference.  Adding the colon found the file.

     

    Thanks for your help

     

    Jim