Spotlight reduced functionality for images error?

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Spotlight reduced functionality for images error?

I recently noticed that Spotlight stopped displaying a huge amount of information related to images of all kinds: jpgs, tiffs, etc. Now, for example, if I search for FILENAME, I get a group of thumbnails under a "Photos from Apps" category with the FILENAME, but the photographs are not "in" any apps, and I can't find any information about those files. I can't see their file extensions; I can't see their full filenames; I can't find their paths. It does appear that I can "Show More", which then displays "Photos" with the same problem: no filenames, no paths, etc. Then I can click "Search in App" under that menu, but this doesn't actually search in any application. It just opens the Finder window. The Finder window does get me what I'm looking for, but it's now taking three steps to do something that used to be accomplished with one. Is there a problem with my Spotlight or is this a new design? If it is the new design, can I disable it?

Posted on Jun 10, 2023 09:33 PM

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Answer 1

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d_s_a Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 11, 2023 12:26 PM in response to VikingOSX

It sounds like it's just lost functionality. If only I could figure out where to complain. There is no option for OS or Spotlight feedback through the official feedback form.

Alas, we use Spotlight/search pretty differently, so I'm sorry to say that the tips you offer (thank you!) won't usually work for me. If I'm searching for something, I don't know when it's from or where it might be located in a nest of folders, so it's difficult to narrow. (Obviously, I wouldn't normally search for something as generic as a spacer, either.) I'll just have to start using Finder more and differently. What a shame. I remember being so pleased with Apple's OS when I first started using it, but it's been losing "power user" functionality for years.

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,118 points

Jun 11, 2023 10:11 AM in response to d_s_a

In the Finder Settings > Advanced, I have the following set:

I rarely use the menu extra's Spotlight or the Finder's ⌘F to locate a specific file.

Let's say I have a RAW Leica Q3 image (L1000004.DNG) on my Desktop whose creation date was June 4. I copy it into an existing Folder (TIP) on my Desktop and the image's creation date is now June 11. In a Finder window search field, I enter:

kind:image name:l1 created:>06/04/2023

and the only image icon to appear is in that Desktop TIP folder because I told it to look for an image whose name begins with the case-insensitive letter "L" and with a creation date after June 4.

I believe if you use Spotlight syntax to your advantage, you can eliminate the steps above by narrowing your search parameters in Spotlight.

If you were looking for a certain image name that has different byte sizes, you could further narrow the search by:

kind:image name:l1 size:>67000 created:>06/05/2023

which would find the same single Q3 image which is 68000+ bytes.

Apple has changed the Spotlight Results window information from filename sizes and creation date line items in Big Sur and Monterey to none in Ventura. The latter operating system also removes the use of the ⌘-key to see a file's path. So, the ever present spiral of lost functionality continues…

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,118 points

Jun 11, 2023 12:55 PM in response to d_s_a

As Spotlight is a feature of macOS, that is where you would send direct feedback to that product team.

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,118 points

Jun 11, 2023 06:41 AM in response to d_s_a

Are you using the Finder's Find (⌘F) panel, entering Spotlight commands in a Finder Window search field, or using Spotlight directly from the menu extras menubar?

If either of the first two possibilities, have you enabled Finder View menu > Show Path Bar, and Show Preview? If Show Preview is enabled, have you selected an image and then Finder View menu > Show Preview Options? That will give you all available (selectable) information that the image supports as a scrollable Preview window.

Here is an example where I have a Leica Q3 image (DNG) on my Desktop. At the bottom of this window, but excluded, is the path to the image as myname > Desktop > image name.DNG.

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Answer 5

d_s_a Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 11, 2023 08:02 AM in response to VikingOSX

Good question. I'm using the ⌘-space shortcut to call up Spotlight Search.

I can get the functionality I seek by using ⌘-f using the method you describe, but that requires switching over to finder first, which is still one additional step.

I've attached a file with three combined screenshots to show 1. that the list of photographs (here, spacer gifs) is pretty useless, and 2. the sequence that ultimately necessitates opening a Finder window. Note that opening the Finder window also effectively re-sorts the search, so it's not featuring images any more. Spotlight used to return a kind of hybrid of the two during the first query. I'm still not sure if this whole situation is a bug, an intentional design, or a setting problem.

Thank you.

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Spotlight reduced functionality for images error?

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