About Spotlight indexing and search results on Apple devices
Learn about the Spotlight index, the indexing process, and what to do if you get unexpected search results.
About the Spotlight index
Spotlight is Apple’s system-wide search feature, and it relies on a regularly updated search index of the data stored on your device. This is a local, private index that stays on your device and isn’t shared with Apple or your other devices.
Spotlight uses this index to help you find files, folders, and apps, including a wide range of content such as documents, email, text messages, contacts, photos, music, podcasts, notes, system settings, and much more. Siri can also use content from the index when responding to your requests.
Learn more about how to search with Spotlight on iPhone or iPad, on Mac, or on Apple Vision Pro.
About the Spotlight indexing process
Spotlight indexes your device so that you can search its contents. Indexing happens when you first set up your device, after you install a software update or upgrade, and as data changes on your device. For example, the index updates when you install new apps that allow their content to be indexed, or you receive new email or text messages.
Depending on the amount of data on your device, Spotlight indexing can take hours or even days. Incremental updates after that are much faster. Indexing completes more quickly when:
Your device is not in use.
Your device is connected to power.
Your device is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, in case email or other data needs to be downloaded for indexing.
While indexing is in progress, you may see one or more of the following:
On Mac, an indexing progress indicator at the top of the Spotlight or Siri window that opens when you press Command–Space bar.
On other devices, a notification in the Settings app that search and Siri are optimizing.
A notification from Mail that indexing is incomplete.
If Spotlight gives unexpected search results
Install the latest software updates for your device. Learn more about Apple Software updates.
If Spotlight isn’t finding a certain type of content, check Spotlight settings to find out whether that type of content is turned on for Spotlight searches:
Mac: From the Apple menu , choose System Settings, then click Spotlight (or Siri & Spotlight) in the sidebar and review the settings.
iPhone, iPad: Open Settings, then tap Search and review the settings.
Apple Vision Pro: Open Settings, tap Search (or Apple Intelligence & Siri, or Siri & Search), then review the settings.
On Mac, rebuilding part of the Spotlight index can help resolve stubborn search issues affecting certain files within a disk or folder:
From the Apple menu , choose System Settings, then click Spotlight (or Siri & Spotlight) in the sidebar.
Scroll down on the right and click the Search Privacy (or Spotlight Privacy) button at the bottom of the window.
Drag the disk (such as Macintosh HD) or folder that you want to index again to the list of locations that Spotlight is prevented from searching, or click the add button (+) and select the disk or folder to add.
If you get an "unknown" error or error related to permissions, your macOS user account might not have ownership permissions for certain items in the disk or folder that you’re attempting to reindex. Learn how to change permissions for a disk or folder.
Wait a few seconds. From the same list of locations, select the disk or folder that you just added, then click the remove button (–) to remove it from the list.
Click Done, then quit System Settings. Spotlight now reindexes the contents of the disk or folder.
