Search with Spotlight
Feb 27, 2018 To see all the results from your Mac in the Finder, scroll to the bottom of the results list, then double-click “Show all in Finder.” Get definitions, calculations, and conversions Spotlight can show you dictionary definitions, calculations, measurement conversions, and more. Faculty Spotlight: Brian Mac Grory, MD Thursday, August 13, 2020 Brian Mac Grory, MD, was a second-year resident when a new method of treating stroke revolutionized vascular neurology almost overnight. Spotlight search on Mac OS X is a great tool for internal file searches. But not everyone like Spotlight and for those who want to disable Spotlight this will help you do that. A main reason Apple users want to disable Spotlight search is because of mdworker, the software running Spotlight.
- Click in the upper-right corner of the menu bar, or press Command-Space bar.
- Enter what you want to find. You can search for things like 'apple store' or 'emails from emily'.
- To open an item from the results list, double-click the item. Or to look through the results quickly, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.
Search by file type or location
What Is Spotlight For Mac
- To search by file type, use the word 'kind' and the file type. For example, type 'kind:folders' or 'kind:audio'.
- To show the location of a file on your Mac, choose the file from the results list, then press and hold Command. The file’s location appears at the bottom of the preview. To open the file’s location, press Command-R.
- To see all the results from your Mac in the Finder, scroll to the bottom of the results list, then double-click 'Show all in Finder'.
Get definitions, calculations and conversions
Spotlight can show you dictionary definitions, calculations, measurement conversions and more. Find out more ways to search with Spotlight.
Here are examples of what you can do:
Spotlight For Mac Os X
- To get a definition, enter a word or phrase, then click the result in the Definition section.
- To get a calculation, enter something like '2+2' in the search field.
- To convert measurements, enter something like '25 lbs' or '32 ft to metres'.
Find film showtimes, weather and nearby places
You can use Spotlight to search for film showtimes, weather and places near you.
Here are examples of what you can do:
Spotlight For Mac Os
- To get showtimes, enter the name of the film that you want to see. To see what's playing near you, enter 'showtimes'.
- To get local weather information, enter 'weather'.
- To find restaurants near you, enter something like 'places to eat', then click a result in the Maps section.
Learn more
- Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac.
- Use Search on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Spotlight features might vary by country or region.
Spotlight is a desktop search utility that helps you search your Mac files. Spotlight enables you to easily lay your hands on the documents, pictures, e-mail messages, and other programs you need at any particular moment. Over time, Mac users accumulate thousands of photos, songs, school reports, work projects, contacts, calendar entries, and you name it. Spotlight helps you locate them in a blink, giving out search results before you finish typing.
What’s even better is that Spotlight can uncover material within documents and files. That’s incredibly useful if you can’t remember what you named a file. And as long as your machine has Leopard, Spotlight lets you search inside the files of any other Mac with Leopard on your network, provided sharing is turned on.
To use Spotlight:
1Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner of the menu bar or press Command and the spacebar simultaneously.
Select the box under Spotlight in System Preferences if the shortcut doesn’t work. The Spotlight search box appears.
2Enter a word or phrase you want to search for.
The instant you type the first letter, a window shows up with what Spotlight considers the most likely search matches. The search is immediately refined as you type extra keystrokes. Searching is so fast you’ll see results more quickly than it takes you to read this sentence.