Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@siberex

siberex/spotlight.md

Last active July 14, 2025 22:47
Show Gist options

  • Select an option

    Learn more about clone URLs
  • Save siberex/10473e3a8f657dd57f3d9b21f9e93fd0 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.

Select an option

Learn more about clone URLs
Save siberex/10473e3a8f657dd57f3d9b21f9e93fd0 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP

Revisions

  1. siberex revised this gist Jul 14, 2025. 1 changed file with 10 additions and 10 deletions.
    20 changes: 10 additions & 10 deletions spotlight.md
    View file
    Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
    @@ -1,32 +1,32 @@

    ##
    ## First steps

    ```bash
    sudo killal mds
    sudo killall -9 mds
    ```

    ## mdutil

    ```bash
    # Turn indexing off and on
    # 1. Show volume indexing status:
    sudo mdutil -s /
    # If you get "Spotlight server is disabled." -> do `sudo killal mds`

    # 2. Turn indexing off and on:
    sudo mdutil -i off /
    sudo mdutil -i on /

    # Erase and rebuild index
    # 3. If step 2 is not enough — erase and rebuild index:
    sudo mdutil -E /

    # Status
    sudo mdutil -s /
    # If you get "Spotlight server is disabled." -> see below ↓
    ```

    ### Spotlight server is disabled
    ## Additional diagnostics

    ```bash
    sudo mddiagnose

    /usr/bin/find / -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /System/Volumes/Data -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /Volumes -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 2

    ```

  2. siberex revised this gist Jul 14, 2025. 1 changed file with 5 additions and 0 deletions.
    5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions spotlight.md
    View file
    Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
    @@ -1,4 +1,9 @@

    ##

    sudo killal mds
    sudo killall -9 mds

    ## mdutil

    ```bash
  3. siberex revised this gist Jul 14, 2025. 1 changed file with 2 additions and 1 deletion.
    3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion spotlight.md
    View file
    Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
    @@ -16,11 +16,12 @@ sudo mdutil -s /

    ### Spotlight server is disabled

    ```bash
    sudo mddiagnose

    /usr/bin/find / -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /System/Volumes/Data -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /Volumes -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 2


    ```

  4. siberex revised this gist Jul 14, 2025. 1 changed file with 8 additions and 0 deletions.
    8 changes: 8 additions & 0 deletions spotlight.md
    View file
    Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
    @@ -16,3 +16,11 @@ sudo mdutil -s /

    ### Spotlight server is disabled

    sudo mddiagnose

    /usr/bin/find / -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /System/Volumes/Data -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 1
    /usr/bin/find /Volumes -name .metadata_never_index -maxdepth 2



  5. siberex created this gist Jul 14, 2025.
    18 changes: 18 additions & 0 deletions spotlight.md
    View file
    Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
    @@ -0,0 +1,18 @@

    ## mdutil

    ```bash
    # Turn indexing off and on
    sudo mdutil -i off /
    sudo mdutil -i on /

    # Erase and rebuild index
    sudo mdutil -E /

    # Status
    sudo mdutil -s /
    # If you get "Spotlight server is disabled." -> see below ↓
    ```

    ### Spotlight server is disabled