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spotlight search not working

I just upgraded my macOS Big Sur to V 11.2.3 and my spotlight search is not working. Is there a delay before I can use it? Anyone know why spotlight search is not working or what action I should take to fix?

iMac Pro

Posted on Mar 9, 2021 12:15 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 9, 2021 12:21 PM

Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight. Add and remove the hard drive from the Privacy section. If it is in Privacy, it won't be searched. Once Privacy is emptied, click on the Spotlight menu for a status.


Also since you upgraded to Big Sur, please put your questions on the Big Sur forum. This forum because of its age is not as frequently monitored.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 9, 2021 12:21 PM in response to apicelj

Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight. Add and remove the hard drive from the Privacy section. If it is in Privacy, it won't be searched. Once Privacy is emptied, click on the Spotlight menu for a status.


Also since you upgraded to Big Sur, please put your questions on the Big Sur forum. This forum because of its age is not as frequently monitored.

Mar 15, 2021 7:41 AM in response to hiep101

Spotlight may get stopped by updating on indexing, which could be taking place due to Time Machine backing up, addition of new storage devices, automatic backup to iCloud, etc. Anything which would impact the need to update existing file search routines will delay Spotlight. Always check the Spotlight menu (magnifying glass in the upper right) to check on its status.

spotlight search not working

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