You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

After updating my MacBook Air to Sequoia, Spotlight search has stopped working

Since updating my MacBook Air (M2, running macOS 15.1 Sequoia) about 1–2 weeks ago, my Spotlight Search has stopped working. Neither "Command-Space" nor the dedicated Spotlight button on my keyboard activates the search. I’ve tried several troubleshooting steps already, including:

  • Restarting my Mac
  • Resetting the Spotlight index
  • Checking the keyboard settings

There’s no error message or indication when attempting to open Spotlight. Has anyone encountered a similar issue with this update, or are there other steps I can take to resolve it?



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Air, macOS 15.1

Posted on Oct 29, 2024 2:17 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 3, 2024 11:37 AM

The following has resolved the issue on the MBA.


  1. In the Terminal, type and run the command: `sudo -i`
  2. Enter your administrator password and press Return.
  3. Continue to run the commands: `mdutil -Ea` and then, `mdutil -ai off`
  4. Enter the command `mdutil -ai on` and press Return, and you will see a message saying that indexing is enabled.


Now Spotlight is reindexing and applications are included in the search results.


8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 3, 2024 11:37 AM in response to InspiredLife

The following has resolved the issue on the MBA.


  1. In the Terminal, type and run the command: `sudo -i`
  2. Enter your administrator password and press Return.
  3. Continue to run the commands: `mdutil -Ea` and then, `mdutil -ai off`
  4. Enter the command `mdutil -ai on` and press Return, and you will see a message saying that indexing is enabled.


Now Spotlight is reindexing and applications are included in the search results.


Oct 31, 2024 4:44 AM in response to Josh_Ber

I had the same issue with Macbook Pro M1 Max after update from 17.x to 18.1.

I solved it in this way:


Rebuild the Spotlight Index:


• Go to System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.


• Drag your hard drive (usually named “Macintosh HD”) into the “Privacy” section to temporarily exclude it from indexing.


• Remove the hard drive from the list again. Spotlight will now start rebuilding the index.

After updating my MacBook Air to Sequoia, Spotlight search has stopped working

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.