Mac OS X 10.6: Spotlight

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Spotlight

Spotlight searches filenames, content, and metadata (data that describes other data) to find almost anything on your computer, including documents, images, music, email messages, and more. For example, if you search for “Tom,” Spotlight returns Tom’s contact information, all documents that contain the word “Tom,” all email messages to or from Tom, all calendar appointments with Tom, and all transcripts of iChat conferences with Tom.

To search, click the Spotlight icon (looks like an eyeglass) in the upper-right corner of your screen and type a word or phrase in the Spotlight search field. For more information, see:

Searching for items on your computer

If you don’t find the items you want, this information may help:

If a search doesn’t return the results you expect

To make items easier to find when you search for them, you can use the Spotlight Comments field in the item’s Get Info window. For example, use the field to mark all the files for a project with the project name, or tag all your urgent files with the word “urgent.”

If your computer has multiple user accounts, search results include any items that other users’ accounts give you permission to see. You can’t modify another user’s items.

The Spotlight search field also appears in applications including the Finder, Mail, and System Preferences, as well as in Open and Save dialogs. Spotlight is used to create Smart Folders, Smart Mailboxes, and Smart Groups, which help you organize your information.

Last Modified: Aug 6, 2013
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