Q: Spotlight search barely works, preferences are set properly, nothing set to private... please help

Did you apply this information to try & re-index folders in your system?

• Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes - Apple Support

Is the computer hard drive capacity getting full of content so as to slow down

most things in the system? Do you have a good backup of your computer to

an offline archive, and have a separate Time Machine backup as well?

Is Spotlight indexing still enabled?

There also is another way to rebuild the index in OS X; here's how in Terminal:

https://www.codelibrary.me/2015/07/01/rebuild-spotlight-index-on-mac-os-x/

If you are unfamiliar with Terminal or command-line, you could try other methods

or read more about how it works in your OS X before trying it. Errors can be bad.

Good luck & happy computing!

So you tried the first link's suggestion on how to force the Spotlight index to rebuild?

Or you tried the Terminal or command-line method to force the index to rebuild?

In either event: I suggest you see about contacting an authorized Apple service provider

or if there is an official retail Apple Store (company owned) with a Genius bar, you could

contact the Store to arrange a reservation to talk to a genius or specialist, by appointment.

• Make an appointment at an Apple Retail Store Genius Bar
• Find an Apple Authorized Service Provider
• See all worldwide support telephone numbers

This suggestion would be something to do if you are concerned if there may be a hardware

or other problem that relates to the symptoms you have experienced. To avoid loss through

failure of the computer, the hard drive, or other situation.

Be sure to invest in a suitable backup external storage drive, large enough capacity to hold

back ups of your works (copies of personal files, etc) and it may be partitioned to allow a

section of the drive to be used as Time machine backups and others. Do this before the

computer fails; and maintain manual and automatic backups to keep copies off the Mac

in case the hard drive or other components fail.

To know the status of the computer, the hard drive capacities, and other basics may be of

help as a base-line; so when changes occur you may notice. Some are important, others

not so much. When upgrading an OS X to a new system, you should have a backup of

sufficient quality to fully restore the computer; even if the hard drive fails. Learn how.

When was the last time you made a backup to an external Time Machine based storage drive?

OS X and Time Machine Tips:

http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html

Have you booted into OS X Recovery and checked/repaired the hard drive with OS X Utilities

(Disk Utility) of the Macintosh HD partition that has your Mac OS X inside?

OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

There may be a problem with the update or upgrade in OS X; some older extensions or parts

from a previous system may not work with the present one. Usually non-compatible stuff.

A look into the Console utility logs (note time, day, etc of any noticed problem) can help or be

helpful if you could understand their validity; so much of Console is very much foreign to most.

Since there are different services available by region or country, they are not equal and so

what may be free at one type of service environment may cost for tech service time at yet

another. -- And as a contributor to a user-to-user or peer-based support discussions forum,

there is no way for me to know where you are located.

The Apple locator link to AASP may be helpful, to ask or get help; that may involve a fee.

If your school has a computer science lab or an instructor who helps teach how to fix or

upgrade Mac computers, they may be able to show you how to fix the Spotlight index.

To re-index an entire drive may take a few hours depending on how large it is, & contents.

Sorry to not be of help in this matter.

Good luck...!

Spotlight not working          see post by Linc Davis

You are welcome.

Thank you, too.

Glad you've gotten past this issue...