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Finder cannot search file folders on Monterey 12.1 Mac mini M1

Please see attached photos, this is a head scratcher.


I cannot use finder to search for any files on my HD... like I can't search folders even though I have the preferences set up to search the folder the finder window is opened with and you can see the finder confirmation of which folder it's searching...


So I know that I am searching for a file that actually exists, and I am searching in the correct folder, and I know that my settings are at least correct as far as which folder finder is searching.


Otherwise I cannot figure out how to fix this or even begin to figure out why this is happening, thanks in advance for your time!


Mac mini, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 17, 2022 1:29 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 7, 2022 1:55 PM

Hi there, I figured it out! Even if you do not use spotlight, you need to rebuild your spotlight index.


The directions on how to rebuild your spotlight index are here:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716


Please mark this as correct as I know for a fact this will work for you and it will be my first ever correct answer on here lol


Happy 2022!



4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 7, 2022 1:55 PM in response to geoff haydon

Hi there, I figured it out! Even if you do not use spotlight, you need to rebuild your spotlight index.


The directions on how to rebuild your spotlight index are here:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716


Please mark this as correct as I know for a fact this will work for you and it will be my first ever correct answer on here lol


Happy 2022!



Jan 17, 2022 2:02 PM in response to antiflashist

You need to set Finder Preference > Advanced > When performing a search: [ Search the Current Folder ↕︎ ]. Then, from the Finder's View menu, choose Show Path Bar. The following was tested on macOS 11.6.2 on an M1 mini.


When you start your search in the same folder as the file you want to locate, the following works:



if you start the search from the Desktop, then the following will isolate that single testtest.png file using the following syntax:



If you click on either of these icons, Finder's Path Bar will display its location at the bottom of Finder window.

Feb 6, 2022 9:34 PM in response to antiflashist

I have this same issue with a new Mac mini M1 running Monterey 12.2. It doesn't;t bring anything when set on the current folder. When set on This Mac, it will show any instance matching the search, including an external backup disk which typically will have numerous copies of files matching the search criteria. So the Search function in Finder is effectively useless.


Finder cannot search file folders on Monterey 12.1 Mac mini M1

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