Search feature no longer works properly in Finder app after upgrade to Ventura 13.0.1 operating wystem

After upgrading my 2020 MacBook Air to the new Ventura operating system, my search feature appears to have lost most of its ability to find anything I'm searching for. Occasionally it will find a few, but not all of the documents during the search effort. Very frustrating. Any thoughts as to how I might fix this? At the same time, I've lost my System Preferences application (another Community Question), so using that is impossible. Maybe I need that problem resolved before this one can be addressed?

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Nov 29, 2022 02:22 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 1, 2022 03:00 PM

Hello ecodude, 

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. 


System Preferences are now called System Settings in macOS Ventura. Click here to learn how to customize your Mac with System Settings


If you are able to locate System Settings, try these steps next if searching your Mac returns unexpected results. It may also help to test the search feature in safe mode and rebuild the Spotlight index


We hope that these troubleshooting steps allow you to use the search features of your Mac normally again. 

Have a great day! 

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 1, 2022 03:00 PM in response to ecodude

Hello ecodude, 

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. 


System Preferences are now called System Settings in macOS Ventura. Click here to learn how to customize your Mac with System Settings


If you are able to locate System Settings, try these steps next if searching your Mac returns unexpected results. It may also help to test the search feature in safe mode and rebuild the Spotlight index


We hope that these troubleshooting steps allow you to use the search features of your Mac normally again. 

Have a great day! 

Dec 6, 2022 03:38 PM in response to JJRASC

I followed your instructions for rebuilding the Spotlight index, and it worked for a few days. I was able to search and find any file I was looking for on my external hard drive. But then yesterday my search feature was no longer working. I again followed the instructions, opened my computer in Safe mode, and gave it all night to rebuild the spotlight index, but it was still not working. Today I did the same thing in Safe mode. No luck. I finally just did the same without opening the computer in Safe mode and it seems to be working. I guess I'll just get in the habit of rebuilding my Spotlight index whenever it quits supplying results for my Search efforts.


Thanks for the help.

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Search feature no longer works properly in Finder app after upgrade to Ventura 13.0.1 operating wystem

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