Why is finder search slower than spotlight on an Intel Mac with Monterey?

After confounding Apple Level 2 support and trying all the tricks we could imagine, finder search is now as fast as spotlight. Alexis from level 2 today called me back and we could no longer reproduce the issue.

So in terms of what the title of this thread addresses, the issue is magically resolved. What still is unsolved is why I cannot drag and drop an attached USB device into the privacy window of spotlight yet any folder can be dropped into that window whether or not it is shared with iCloud (Documents) or one that is not (Downloads). Oddly this function works on all my other Monterey Intel and Apple silicon Macs that are not sharing documents / desktop with iCloud.

Since Finder search and spotlight do not appear to be searching/indexing these USB drives, I have chosen to not pursue the issue. Apple level 2 has documented this. I will start a new thread if the inability to exclude a USB device becomes an issue for me.

Paul

Thank you both.

I am going to make. it a bit more interesting.

It was by mistake that I ok's all of Desktop and Documents to be copied to iCloud. What is odd is that the delay occurs whether on not the computer is connected to the network. I can see the files in the documents folder under iCloud without an internet connection and can open them, it is just that finder find cannot see it.

I also see I misspoke in my original message, I stated: "I tried rebuilding the spotlight index last night but that made no difference. When I tried to do a finder search, it worked as expected - instantaneous". That should have read a spotlight search it worked as expected. Finder search is still terribly delayed.

Here is where it gets interesting. I disconnect my Mac from the network. Documents files are in the documents folder under iCloud and I can open them. Finder search fails to find any files with my last name. Spotlight search finds 198 of them, I assume, by filename title and when I scroll to the bottom and select "Search in Finder" a finder window opens with the search results immediately while the other finder search window is still blank with a spinning wheel saying "loading." Eventually it displayed results. I did not time it, but I would guess more than a minute after the spotlight finder result, Both are showing the same number of files: 198 Usually finder search looks inside of files. In this instance I am sure there are more than 198 instances of my last name in all the files on my drive.

I tested this on several Macs running Monterey - both Intel and Apple silicon and could not reproduce this on any of them. They are not uploading files to iCloud. However when I used the finder to search for my last name on one of them, it instantaneously found 13,265 instances of it in files that are no local but located on the iCloud Drive. Safe boot on the problematic Mac made no difference, whether or not it was connected to the network.

I spoke at length with a level 2 support and she is going to research It and we will talk again Sunday.

I sure wish I never turned on Documents and Desktop in iCloud!

Paul