howtosimply.com/guides/spotlight-search-not-working-on-a-mac-how-to-rebuild-the-index/ · Checked October 2026 · MacBook Pro · macOS Tahoe 26

In this guide

Install updates first
Open System Settings and click Spotlight
Click Search Privacy
Add your disk to the list
Wait, then remove it again
Click Done and close System Settings
Good to know
Sources

Quick answer

Open System Settings, click Spotlight and click Search Privacy at the bottom. Add your disk, usually Macintosh HD, to the list with the plus button, wait a few seconds and remove it again with the minus button. Spotlight then builds its index from scratch.

5 of 6 steps with real screenshots · 1 official source below

Device: Mac
Shown on: macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro)
App: System Settings
Path: System Settings › Spotlight › Search Privacy
Real screenshots: 5 of 6 steps
Checked: October 2026
Sources: 1 official, linked below

Step by step

Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Install updates first
Open System Settings, General, Software Update and install what is offered. Search problems are sometimes fixed by an update alone.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Open System Settings and click Spotlight
On older versions the entry is called Siri & Spotlight.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Click Search Privacy
The button is at the bottom of the page. On older versions it is called Spotlight Privacy.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Add your disk to the list
Click the plus button and choose the disk, usually Macintosh HD, or drag the disk into the list. To rebuild the index for one folder only, add that folder instead.
Done
Wait, then remove it again
Wait a few seconds. Select the disk in the list and click the minus button.
Done
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screenTap the picture to see it full size
Click Done and close System Settings
Spotlight now indexes the disk again.
Done

About this guide

Spotlight finds files through an index, a kind of catalogue of everything on the disk. When search results are missing or wrong, the index is usually damaged. Apple's fix is to make the Mac throw the index away and build a new one.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.

Good to know

Reindexing a whole disk takes time. Apple says the first indexing can take hours or even days. It is fastest when the Mac is not in use, plugged in and on Wi-Fi.

Apple says a permissions or unknown error means your account might not have ownership permissions for some of the items; change their permissions first.

The Search Privacy list is meant for places Spotlight should never search. Check that the folder you are missing is not on that list for good.

How to use the search well: how to use Spotlight search on a Mac.

In short: System Settings, Spotlight, Search Privacy, add the disk with plus, wait, remove it with minus, Done.

Sources