System/OS applications missing from Spotlight

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Level 1

69 points

System/OS applications missing from Spotlight

Hi there ...

Something odd happened with Spotlight on my system. It no longer finds system or OS installed applications. So if I type in "Mail" it does not find the Mail app. If I type in "Disk Utility", or "Terminal" or "Activity Monitor", Photo Booth, maps, etc., etc., ... none of them show up. It seems to have no issue with finding all other non-OS applications and files, etc., on my system.

I tried unchecking "Applications" from the Spotlight settings, and checking again. I also put the entire system disk into Privacy, and took it out again. This resulted in Spotlight rescanning the drive. But after that was completed, the issue persisted.

What else can I try?

Should I do what's outlined here, by Linc Davis, some years ago? Or is there something less involved and less time-consuming that I can try first?

Cheers ...

Jonathan

Posted on Aug 31, 2022 06:21 PM

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Answer 1

InspiredLife Author

Level 1

69 points

Aug 31, 2022 08:12 PM in response to InspiredLife

It's as though the /System/Applications/ folder is not being indexed. Nothing within the folder shows up in Spotlight. I have now tried adding that folder to the Privacy option in Spotlight preferences, and then removing it. That doesn't seem to cause Spotlight to index it.

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Answer 2

InspiredLife Author

Level 1

69 points

Aug 31, 2022 08:34 PM in response to InspiredLife

I've managed to resolve it.

The `mdfind Mail.app` did not show "/System/Applications/Mail.app" in the results. Although it did show a few other apps that ended with "...mail.app" in their name. This confirms that Mail.app was not in the index.

1) Disable Spotlight entirely:

sudo mdutil -i off /

2) Enable it again:

sudo mdutil -i on /

3) Force reindexing to initiate:

sudo mdutil -E /

4) Force adding of /System folder

mdimport -f /System/Applications

Now, the command `mdfind Mail.app` shows `/System/Applications/Mail.app` as one of the results. It's also showing up in the GUI for Spotlight.

Using `mdimport -sa` I can see that "/" has Spotlight "Enabled".

All system applications now show up in Spotlight.

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System/OS applications missing from Spotlight

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