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My spotlight search is not working. Does not find files that exists. It indexes some files and then rebuilds automatically to zero.
Tried rebuilding the index by adding entire directory of my user to spotlight security.
Tried restarting.
Checked searchable category list in settings.
Please help.
MacBook Pro 13″
If Spotlight search isn’t working and keeps resetting the index to zero, first try rebuilding the index using Terminal by entering sudo mdutil -E / to force a complete reindex of your system. You should also check for disk errors using Disk Utility’s "First Aid" function, as issues with the drive can interfere with indexing. Verify file permissions by resetting them via Terminal with the command sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / \id -u``. If external drives or network drives are connected, try disconnecting them as they may be causing problems with Spotlight. Finally, if these steps don’t help, consider resetting the SMC and PRAM, which can sometimes resolve system-wide issues affecting Spotlight.
If Spotlight search isn’t working and keeps resetting the index to zero, first try rebuilding the index using Terminal by entering sudo mdutil -E / to force a complete reindex of your system. You should also check for disk errors using Disk Utility’s "First Aid" function, as issues with the drive can interfere with indexing. Verify file permissions by resetting them via Terminal with the command sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / \id -u``. If external drives or network drives are connected, try disconnecting them as they may be causing problems with Spotlight. Finally, if these steps don’t help, consider resetting the SMC and PRAM, which can sometimes resolve system-wide issues affecting Spotlight.
Please download and run Etrecheck. The free version is sufficient.
Copy the report as shown in this animated screenshot
and use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.
Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine the cause of the problem.
Mdogru wrote:
Thank you but I am not a fan of installing so-called "utilities" and also pasting my system details. I have seen enough fraud so... Not to offend.
That is your prerogative, though etrecheck which we have been recommending for a decade does spare us asking 20 questions about your macOS and third-party software installations that may be contributing to the problem. Etrecheck completely protects your privacy and would not reveal anything that would lead to fraudulent activity.
When you encounter Disk Utility First Aid errors in recovery mode and subsequent runs of First Aid do not give you a green success result, then your drive is likely damaged and needs to be replaced followed by a clean nstall of macOS and Time Machine migration.
Thank you for the detailed answer. Apparently I have disk issues. When I run Disk Utility’s "First Aid" function in recovery mode it gave me File System repair filed with -69845 error code. And Also File System Check Exit code 8 unsuccessful. The mdutil -p says "datastore publishing not implemented.". I am not sure how to proceed. Maybe a Time Machine backup and re-install the system? What do you recommend ?
Thank you but I am not a fan of installing so-called "utilities" and also pasting my system details. I have seen enough fraud so... Not to offend.
Mdogru wrote:
Thank you but I am not a fan of installing so-called "utilities" and also pasting my system details. I have seen enough fraud so... Not to offend.
Well, that's your call. Good luck.
Spotlight Issues
