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Q: El Capitan upgrade messed up dictionary results in Spotlight

I upgraded to El Capitan 10.11.5 from Yosemite 10.10.5 this week and immediately noticed dictionary issues with Spotlight:

 

  • I don't have (for example) german or swedish dictionaries checked in the preferences, but typing swedish or german words, returns german and swedish dictionary results. It should return no results.

 

  • I have the spanish-english, english and english thesaurus dictionaries checked, but searching an english word brings up only the spanish-english dictionary results when it should return results from all 3 dictionaries. A three-finger tap in an english word also brings up only spanish-english results, when it should return all three.

 

I'd like to know if this issue is widespread and if there's a fix.

 

Thanks.

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jun 16, 2016 6:40 PM

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Q: El Capitan upgrade messed up dictionary results in Spotlight

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 16, 2016 7:00 PM in response to leveli
    Level 10 (207,963 points)
    Applications
    Jun 16, 2016 7:00 PM in response to leveli

    Does the Dictionary app return the results you expect?

  • by leveli,

    leveli leveli Jun 17, 2016 7:39 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 17, 2016 7:39 AM in response to Linc Davis

    When using Dictionary.app, at least I'm not presented results for dictionaries that are not checked in the Preferences list, and the default dictionary consulted is the one at the top of my list, so I'd say yes.

     

    Dictionary.app has a bar where I can select a different dictionary and since Spotlight doesn't, I think it would benefit from showing unified results like iOS' Define menu item but this would be a feature request.

  • by sanjampet,

    sanjampet sanjampet Jun 17, 2016 7:57 AM in response to leveli
    Level 5 (7,874 points)
    Jun 17, 2016 7:57 AM in response to leveli

    levels,

     

    Try re-indexing Spotlight

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 17, 2016 8:04 AM in response to leveli
    Level 10 (207,963 points)
    Applications
    Jun 17, 2016 8:04 AM in response to leveli

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    Step 1

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

    Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

    Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

    Step 2

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

    Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up 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 startup may also be somewhat slow.

    The login screen appears even if you usually log in 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, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

  • by leveli,

    leveli leveli Jun 17, 2016 5:48 PM in response to sanjampet
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 17, 2016 5:48 PM in response to sanjampet

    Thank you for your advice. After deleting the index, Spotlight results still include Dictionary entries, Safari history and Bing searches. It made no difference.