MacOS - Rebuild Search Index

Tags Mac

Issue/Question

  • The spotlight search on my Mac isn't returning files that I know exist.

Environment

  • Oregon State University
    • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and newer

Resolution

You can choose to reindex specific folders, or the entire folder structure. Reindexing the entire folder structure will take more time.

Method 1 - Reindex Specific Folders

  1. Open System Preferences > Spotlight.

  2. Click the Privacy tab.

  3. Find the folder you'd like to reindex (Macintosh HD will do a full reindex of the entire file system)

  4. Drag that folder to the list of locations the Spotlight is prevented from searching.

  5. From the same list of locations, select the folder you just added. Then click the Remove (-) button to remove it from the list.

  6. Quit System Preferences. Spotlight will begin reindexing. Depending on the number of files being reindexed, this process can take quite a while.

Method 2 - Reindex Entire Folder Structure

  1. Open the Terminal.
  2. Type the following: sudo mdutil -E /

  3. This will rebuild the index of the entire hard disk.

 

For assistance, contact the IS Service Desk.

Details

Article ID: 85969
Created
Fri 8/30/19 9:50 AM
Modified
Thu 1/30/20 9:16 AM