If you are a Mac owner, then you I am sure you appreciate the tools that come included by default with your Mac. In fact, I consider the software that comes with the Mac are the best pre-installed software on the computer market, with applications like iPhoto, Safari, QuickTime, Disk Utility, GarageBand, iMovie, Messages, Reminders and more. Each of these apps could easily cost dozens of dollars if they were for sale, yet Apple puts all of them on every new Mac.
Seer for Windows. One of the best things about OS X is the ability to preview files quickly. Spotlight Alternative One of the hugely popular app for Mac is Alfred, which does blow Spotlight out of the water. However, for the time being, we’ll nudge Alfred aside and talk about EasyFind — don’t forget to give a shot at Alfred app, if you haven’t done it already. You know, everyone uses Alfred.
Of all these and more though, Spotlight (Apple’s launcher and search assistant) is the one utility that is easily the most used by many, which makes it extremely important.
However, for many Mac users (myself included) Spotlight doesn’t perform as reliably as it should. In many cases when performing searches, all Spotlight shows lately are PDF files, apps and emails, while other important files and documents are completely overlooked. There are also many Mac users for which, despite performing well, Spotlight simply doesn’t cut it.
If you are one of those Mac users, here we have two great Spotlight alternatives that not only perform much better, but also bring along several additional features at no cost.
Here’s a look at them:
Quicksilver
Praised by a vast amount of Mac users as the best and most complete search and launcher app for the Mac, Quicksilver definitely lives up to its name. The application is a free, full-on Spotlight replacement that covers almost all bases for even the most demanding Mac users.
Both Quicksilver’s search parameters and its looks are fully customizable, allowing you to open the application anywhere on your Mac’s screen.
The application is also a feature powerhouse and allows for plugins, add-ons, scripts and themes to be installed right from the app’s preferences, all of which provide it with far more features.
All in all, Quicksilver is a great replacement for Spotlight, especially if you like to customize even the tiniest aspect of your Mac. If all you care about is just something simple and that helps you search fast though, then keep reading.
Found
Found is quite the newcomer to the world of Mac launchers and search assistants that brings a few much-welcomed novelties to the table. To start, instead of just searching for your stuff on your Mac, Found also integrates with several of the existing cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, SkyDrive and even Gmail attachments, allowing you to scan for files on all those services.
Mac Spotlight Shortcut
Note: Check out the our in-depth comparison of Google Drive and Dropbox for iOS, two of the best cloud services our there.In practice, there are two of Found’s features that I find extremely convenient. The first is the app’s speed. Upon typing any search query, Found starts giving your results almost right away. In addition to that, Found also provides you with an instant Quick Look view of every file you browse from its results, saving you time and helping you find just the file you want.
As for customization options and expansion capabilities, Found offers none. Still, for anyone looking for the most simple and fast alternative to Spotlight, Found easily delivers.
Mac Spotlight Not Working
There you go. Two full-featured replacements for Spotlight that cost you nothing and give you a lot. Try them out and see which one you like best.
![Spotlight icon mac Spotlight icon mac](https://i1.wp.com/www.linuxandubuntu.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/install-albert-spotlight-in-ubuntu.jpg?w=640)
Did You Know
You can use the Chrome search bar as a calculator.
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A Spotlight is an in-built search system used to find and open applications and different types of files. It holds several internet browsing options. This feature is popular among Mac users but lately, there are cases of Mac spotlight not working.
Some of the glitches experienced include;
- Inaccurate results
- Unable to find files
- No results shown after a query is entered or no response at all.
Some of these problems are as a result of a system upgrade or update. In some cases, the upgrade led to Mac Spotlight indexing for storage. Luckily, there are several ways you can the rebuild Spotlight index and other options to troubleshoot Spotlight problems. Run windows vst on mac.
How to fix Mac Spotlight search
Follow these steps to fix the Mac spotlight index:
Force Spotlight re-indexing
Use this method if the re-indexing procedure does not show the messages or progress bar. With this method, you can confirm from the Activity Monitor if Spotlight is still running the process or force Spotlight to re-index.
- Open Finder to launch the Activity Monitor then go to the Applications folder.
- Open Utilities and run the app
- A new window will pop up then type ‘mdworker’ in the search field.
- The Activity Monitor will show all Spotlight related re-indexing processes
- The list will establish the re-indexing process was operating
- When there are no active processes in the Activity Monitor attempt to use Spotlight once more.
The entire process might consume time depending on the number of files kept in selected folders.
Close System UI Server
This process is easy and quick and often solves Mac spotlight not working related issues.
- Open Finder and go to the application folder to start Activity Monitor.
- Go to utilities and select Activity Monitor
- Look for SystemUISever in the window that shows up. You can also use the search field to find it fast.
- Select the process and click the quit process tab.
When you close the process, the menu bar and dock will appear after a few minutes
Once they reload, it’s an indication the process is reset. Check if you have clear spotlight cache.
Change desktop resolution
This solution is effective when the search form does not appear with the highlighted Spotlight menu icon.
- Go to Mac’s System Preference and open Display
- Select a resolution less than the current value.
- 640 x 480 should always work
- Once you change the resolution, return to the original resolution so that you screen display to return to its original form.
Now, test and see if Spotlight search not working on Mac.
Use Disk Utility to check startup disk
Disk utility has diagnostic tools, which are convenient to rebuild Spotlight index. In most cases, this tool is enough to solve Mac spotlight issues. To use it;
- Restart your Mac to enter the recovery mode.
- Immediately you hear the startup ring, hold down Command and R until macOS Utilities come into sight.
- From the prompted menu, select the Disk Utility the select the startup disk.
- Click the First Aid icon at the top of the screen
- Press Run to start the repair tool which will check and repair the disk
If First Aid reports that not all errors were fixed, start over again. Repeat the above process several times.
Lastly, reboot your Mac and check if the Spotlight Search is working.
Adjust Spotlight Preferences
Ensure Spotlight preferences right especially if you can’t find the desired results.
- Open Mac’s System Preference and select Spotlight
- Review the Search Results tab and ensure all required results are authorized via the checkbox beside each title.
- Open the privacy tab and ensure Spotlight isn’t excluding required applications or folders.
- Click + (Add) if everything seems correct then select the startup disk or any other folder for which results aren’t showing in the Spotlight search. Besides, you can drag and you want to be re-indexed into the list and concur with the warning texts.
- Once you select the disk or all folders, click to select them and click the Remove (-) tab at the bottom of the list
Now, quit the System preference and Spotlight will launch the re-indexing process for the listed drive.
We hope if you have an issue with Mac Spotlight not working, you can now troubleshoot with much ease.
Read:How to hide desktop icons on Mac