The Spotlight is a neat feature. It’s something that you be should be using all the time on your Mac. That is if it’s working. Truth be told, there are times when the Spotlight just doesn’t work. When that happens, you would need to rebuild Spotlight index. If that’s something that sounds unfamiliar to you, keep on reading this article.
This article will show you how you can rebuild the Spotlight index. It will also give you a better way of understanding of how to manage the Spotlight. Towards the end of this article, you will also learn of an easy way to find files and free up space on your Mac.
Part 1. What Is Spotlight Indexing on Mac?
The Spotlight is the fastest and the easiest way to get to programs and places on your Mac. You can launch it by holding down on Command and pressing the spacebar. Once it pops up on your screen, you can pretty much type in anything to start finding it on your Mac. ow
The reason why Spotlight makes it easy for you is because it indexes the files and items on your Mac’s system. That pretty much allows you to find anything on your Mac. Just think of the Spotlight as the librarian who patiently arranges all the books in an easy way people can find what they want and need.
However, the Spotlight is not perfect. In the same way, the librarian can be absent at times. Read on to see how you can manage the Spotlight on your Mac.
Part 2. How Do I Rebuild the Spotlight Index on My Mac?
Don’t panic if the file is not showing up on your Spotlight search. You can get a file to show up. You have two options as to how to rebuild the Spotlight index manually.
Option #1. Add and Remove Macintosh HD
You can rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac by adding and removing Macintosh HD. The steps below will show you how you can do it.
Step 1. Go to System Preferences and Click on Spotlight
Take your cursor to the Dock and click on System Preferences to launch the window. Then click on Spotlight.
Step 2. Click on Privacy
You will see two tabs on the top part of the Spotlight window. These two tabs are Search Results and Privacy. Click on Privacy.
Step 3. Rebuild Spotlight Index
Once you clicked on the Privacy tab, click on the + sign you see at the left bottom part of the screen to add your Macintosh HD. Then take your cursor to the left side of the new window and click on the name of your Mac under Devices. Your Mac icon will come out on the main screen, click on it. After adding the Macintosh HD, take your cursor and click on the minus sign to start rebuilding the Spotlight index.
Step 4. Do a Search on Spotlight
Go to Spotlight and type in a name of a file. You will see the indexing process taking place. What this means is that all your files are loading so that they could be searched on Spotlight.
Option #2. Rebuild Spotlight Index Use the Terminal
You can use the Terminal to enable indexing. The steps below will show you how you can use it.
- Launch Terminal and type in command
sudo mdutil -E / - Type in your password to start to enable indexing.
- Launch Spotlight and type in a name of a file to search it. It should be able to find it.