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A Spotlight Search, made within an open Finder window, is not producing any results for a search, specifically pointed to the actual folder.

Background.

Just bought a 2021 MacBook Pro, M1Max 64Gb Ram. All is good. Running Ventura 13.2

Made a fresh Time Machine backup, with 1 backup only, from the previous MacBook and migrated to new machine.

All is good and it went as expected.

However, I have found something that I can't solve, nor the Apple Technicians at this point either.

I use Finder a lot. I navigate to a Folder and/ or sub-folders. Once there, I am presented with all of the files inside the my chosen folder in a Finder window. In my case specifically, about 25,000 jpeg files. I have them all named with year month date to begin a file name. ie 20220209 would be the beginning of the name for Feb9,2022. When I want to filter my search within the chosen folder, I can enter say 1975 into the search field of Finder, not the main Spotlight search, but the smaller spotlight that's inside the Finder. By default, once you start typing in that field, results appear with files containing 1975 ....but.... that's the results from the searching of "this Mac". I know that's the way it operates by default. However, you are then able to select the subfolder, which is showing in the tab right beside the Mac, and it should narrow down the search to just the sub-folder. For whatever reason, mine always shows zero results.


So far, I have been able to determine that the exact type of search, if performed in Folders outside of my "user account", will actually display results that I am seeking. It just isn't working with searches in folders or subfolders within my "User Account".


I had made a fresh TimeMachine backup. I chose create a new user so that I wouldn't end up with two users.

My hunch is this was a Spotlighting indexing issue, so I looked up Apple support and followed their instructions to use within the Systems and Settings ,Siri and Spotlight. Scrolling down to the bottom of the spotlight panel you will find a Spotlight Privacy ? that will lead you to the area where you need to add the folder, delete the folder, click done. There is a specific Apple Support web page with the details to follow. To my way of thinking, this process was to tell the Spotlight to not look at the folder and then immediately allow it to look in the folder by deleting it. A quick in and out. I was under the impression this would maybe re-index that folder, but that has not happened. I understand the process is supposed to take some time but I did my own about 3 days ago with zero progress. I have checked the Activity Monitor afterwards and I might say there was some increased activity, but nothing that would indicate it was active in a working and reindexing manner. I then went through this same procedure when on the phone with technical support yesterday. I was also on the phone again today doing the same thing.

I am open to suggestions as the offered solution to retry everything doesn't appeal to me. Seeing as how we have also tested a new user, loaded some new documents/folders and it does work in the test, it has something to do with my user transfer. It has nothing to do with a bad OS software, just something to do with the "User Folder" being prevented to allow any of it's sub Folders to be searched, that was migrated to the new machine. If there are any other people or experts with other suggestions, I am willing to try them at this stage. Basically I've been encouraged to redo the Migration, but I've changed many folders and files and don't want to go down that rabbit hole just yet, and I was hoping somebody else may have encountered this and found their own solution or have been directed to the answer.

Otherwise, I am struggling with why there isn't a solution to tell your Mac to forget about it's current Spotlight and force a new indexing for everything that's in the drive now. However, that's what I thought I had been asking when I followed their instructions. Obviously,

I'm looking forward to suggestions.

Regards Only2cents

MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Feb 9, 2023 4:51 PM

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11 replies

Feb 10, 2023 6:43 AM in response to leroydouglas

Hi leroydouglas

Impressed with that last post about searching. I'm actually dumbfounded that the help technicians didn't ask to see that while screen sharing.


UPDATE. Wow, the sub searches are working!!!


So, FWIW, we had tried to drag the user account and any other subfolder with zero success. They didn't suggest dragging the Main Drive. In fact they were insistent that shouldn't have mattered.


Excellent help from you.

Life is good again.

Sincerely appreciative and keep up the great work.

only2cents

Feb 13, 2023 8:06 AM in response to leroydouglas

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! Spotlight is finally working again. I upgraded to a new Macbook Air last week with Ventura and it was driving me crazy that Spotlight wouldn't search within a folder. I tried with all different folders to reindex and non worked until I dropped the Macintosh HD into and out of Spotlight privacy to reindex. How to we get Apple to put this at the top of their support answers?

Feb 13, 2023 8:42 AM in response to Linda Festing-Smith

Hi Linda

Exactly, but what was interesting is that neither of the two technical support knew enough to drag the main MacIntosh HD into that field.

If you thought I was frustrated with that one, you may find this next one interesting as well.

After completing a Time Machine Migration to the new Mac, when you try to open any applications that are 64 bit, that should work, that had worked on your previous Mac, you can be presented with a pop-up that gives you two options. One, that this is possibly corrupted and do you want to send it to trash? LOL. Or two, ..cancel. That's it...two options. Of course you're thinking why? It worked before the migration, why not now? I can't tell you how frustrated I was as to why it wasn't working? I realize that there are always some applications that we purchased that have licenses etc tied to one machine etc and that's why some people suggest we just install/add these applications afterwards.

But here's the thing that I literally stumbled across and found out they do indeed work without a need to reinstall.

Try to open the problem application. Leave it, with the ridiculous two choice pop-up. Go to Privacy and Settings and scroll towards the bottom. You'll find an option saying something about allowing unknown or third party applications to be opened, very likely referencing what you just tried to open. I selected it to run. It worked. DUH.

So, my beef is, why oh why, wasn't that a note on the pop-up window upon my very first attempt to open the application? Seriously?? I can only ask, what were they thinking? Perhaps just adding a simple, "This may be an application from a third party or unknown developer. Check Privacy and Settings for further information."


I know this was off topic, but surely, I'm not the only one frustrated with that presentation.

Regards only2cents

Feb 10, 2023 5:00 AM in response to only2cents

only2cents wrote:
A Spotlight Search, made within an open Finder window, is not producing any results for a search, specifically pointed to the actual folder.

Background.
Just bought a 2021 MacBook Pro, M1Max 64Gb Ram. All is good. Running Ventura 13.2


Did you rebuild the Spotlight search Index ...? simply enough with no downside


Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support



Feb 10, 2023 6:34 AM in response to only2cents

only2cents wrote:

Hi leroydouglas
I was wondering, if you could specifically suggest, exactly what process/processes I should be looking for, in Disk Utility to see if it's indexing. I am finding it extremely hard to accept that it takes days to reindex, but it may be worth a try.
Thanks


If you open /start a Spotlight search enter something/anything it shows you right there if it is indexing...




It all happens and completes in short order. Try again.


If you use Terminal.app you can simply copy and paste:

sudo mdutil -E /   

Feb 10, 2023 6:06 AM in response to leroydouglas

Hi lerodouglas

Thanks for looking into this. Yes, that is exactly the support document I tried before contacting Apple. I personally dragged my entire user folder over into that box. To be clear, it was sitting in that field. I followed the instructions. I then highlighted the folder that was dragged in and clicked the minus button to remove it. I then clicked close system settings and nothing has changed. I then called APPLE and they had me do the same thing with them online screen sharing but this time we only tried my Picture Folder, thinking a smaller Folder might work doing the exact same steps. Although that assumption seems weak as apparently you could drag your entire MacIntosh drive there as well. The support staff and I agreed to let it work but the next day, nothing had changed. I called the following day and a supervisor had me screen share and do the same thing again. Nothing has been indexed as of yet. I know this is supposed ton take time but this is a fast MacBook and I have not even seen anything remote in Disk Utility using cpu resources to indicate any spotlighting going on in the background. Yesterday we went through the testing of adding a new user, dropping some folders and files into it and doing a Finder search and it works inside the new user as it should. That eliminated a software error as far as we could see. Then I was left with either try to wipe everything and reload my TimeMachine backup used to migrate to this new Mac which I wasn't too happy about trying at this stage and thought maybe someone else had found the same issue. What mystifies me is that this rebuild, according to the document, should be doing that but clearly it isn't. So what's the deal with that? I was thinking about the logic of adding the folder, yet immediately removing it, and personally wondered when adding it why nothing was needing initiating at that first entry. I may sound confused, but I actually thought a click on the done would be needed immediately after the add. Then I thought you'd go back, look at it again, then remove it. If what I'm writing isn't making any sense to you ,I understand. I asked the support about this and asked , why not click done between step 3 and 4, to which there wasn't any known answer other than we try it exactly as written.


Thanks again

only2cents

Feb 13, 2023 12:27 PM in response to only2cents

I haven't come across that one yet, but I'll keep it in mind if I do. There are certainly some things that are making no sense in Ventura. I have to say the reorg of system preferences baffles me. I have to do help constantly to find settings that logically made and sense and had been in the same place for decades. Never mind the fact that apps that open on login don't have the option to open in the background anymore, so you have to go and close a bunch of windows that you never had to before. Glad this spotlight issue finally has a resolution :)

A Spotlight Search, made within an open Finder window, is not producing any results for a search, specifically pointed to the actual folder.

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